


The Rhythm of Our Hearts

by blade1802



Category: ONF (Band)
Genre: Alternate Universe - College/University, Alternate Universe - High School, Best Friends, Fluff and Angst, M/M, Romantic Fluff
Language: English
Status: Completed
Published: 2020-06-21
Updated: 2020-07-07
Packaged: 2021-03-04 02:08:23
Rating: Teen And Up Audiences
Warnings: No Archive Warnings Apply
Chapters: 9
Words: 21,086
Publisher: archiveofourown.org
Story URL: https://archiveofourown.org/works/24835891
Author URL: https://archiveofourown.org/users/blade1802/pseuds/blade1802
Summary: Lee Changyoon and Park Minkyun are best friends, until a scandalous dance performance sets off a roller coaster of feelings. They're friends who help each other through crises and chaotically grow together from high school through college. All it takes is a confession to seal the deal.
Relationships: Lee Changyoon | E-Tion/Park Minkyun | MK
Comments: 3
Kudos: 53





	1. Excitement

**Author's Note:**

> This will be a CHAPTERED fic based off of my KyunYoon oneshot, "Neon." You can read Neon on its own if you'd like, but it will directly appear in this fic within the timeline. Please enjoy and let me know how you feel! Expect this fic to be finished soon!

The stage lights of the theater burned down on him like a sun. Park Minkyun navigated the hardwood floors with ease, his black sneakers rhythmically tapping the ground. It would be his last time on the stage tonight, but he was already comfortable with the atmosphere. He looked ahead into the dark crowd and returned as many smiles (or grins in this case) as he could. The roar of the bass drove his body forward during this set, and he tapped into his brain for cues for where to go next.

It was the closing act of the night, so Minkyun knew to burn out the rest of his remaining energy for this performance. He moved himself to center stage to meet with his partner and choreographer of this set, Lee Changyoon. While all the other six pairs were male-female couples, Changyoon took it upon himself to make Minkyun his partner to make up for the uneven gender ratio. Minkyun was, in theory, completely willing to go along with the arrangement when Changyoon first told him.

Then he saw the dance they had to do together.

As Minkyun took his spot behind Changyoon, he brought out his right arm to wrap around his partner’s shoulder and placed his hand on Changyoon’s chest. His left hand went in front on Changyoon’s hip. The crowd was screaming their loudest in that moment, and he heard a lot of people screaming “Lee Changyoon!” in the background. While Minkyun’s right hand traveled down Changyoon’s body, their hips grinded together, and Minkyun was partially thrown off by the fact that unlike practice, Changyoon did not leave a friendly space in between them - it was full, physical contact. To top it off, Minkyun’s left hand dipped south to stroke Changyoon’s inner thigh.

With the crowd continuing to yell their hardest, Minkyun and Changyoon moved to the side and pressed their foreheads together. However, when Minkyun looked into the other’s eyes (as he had been doing every practice), he saw a brief flash of panic and heard a sharp gasp from his partner. As they broke away and continued the next set of moves, Minkyun saw Changyoon stumbling with the rhythm in his peripherals. Luckily, from Minkyun’s next position in the back center, he could see that Changyoon had snapped back in tempo for the concluding thirty seconds. Their final formation was a charismatic pose with their partners, Changyoon resting his arm and leaning on Minkyun’s shoulder.

After the final applause came from the audience, the dancers hurried off stage and prepared to go back on for the closing remarks. Minkyun teasingly hit Changyoon’s shoulder as soon as they reached backstage. “I saw you Mr. Choreographer. How could you screw up your own dance?” he joked with his friend.

Changyoon’s face reddened even further than his original sweaty rouge shade. “I don’t know, maybe it was just stage fright,” he said dismissively. “I hope it didn’t distract anyone though. I think that felt like our best run-through of that performance.” Minkyun simply smiled at him in agreement.

“That concludes our annual showcase for FUZE Dance Crew! Thank you for coming to support our dancers! We greatly appreciate it!” The crew all held hands and bowed as one. Minkyun internally giggled at how sweaty Changyoon’s hands felt in his grip, but he made no comment out of the respect of his friend.

After a barrage of pictures taken with other dance members, Minkyun awkwardly waited on stage for his friend to finish. “Oh Minkyun! Can you take a few pictures for us?” Changyoon eagerly asked, handing his phone over to the other.

“Of course,” Minkyun smiled. He first took a set of photos for Changyoon and his parents, then for Changyoon and his school friends, then just one of Changyoon.

“Minkyun, did your family come today?” Changyoon’s mom kindly asked. Her smile with the glint in her eye closely mimicked that of her son’s.

Minkyun nervously laughed. “Oh no, I didn’t invite them. I don’t think they would like to come to see me dance, especially since I just started.” Changyoon sensed the underlying hurt in Minkyun’s voice.

“That’s nonsense, you were amazing!” Changyoon’s mom confidently exclaimed. “Well if there is another performance that you two are in, we will yell for the both of you,” she promised.

“Thank you very much, Mrs. Lee,” Minkyun replied with an open smile. He looked over at Changyoon and made eye contact. “I have to go back home and finish an assignment, but I’ll see you back at school. You did great!” With a small wave to Changyoon’s supporters, Minkyun picked up his backpack of dance clothes and left the auditorium.

Lee Changyoon felt a different weight on his shoulders when he returned to school on Monday. It was strange to him, considering that he expected to feel liberated from the stresses of the dance showcase. Nevertheless, a new burden came in to replace the outgoing one. He flashed back to the moment on stage when his eyes met his dance partner’s, and he remembered the rush of adrenaline that washed over him. He remembered his heart speeding up, and the resounding gasp of panic he made when he forgot the next set of moves.

It hurt to think about how his body reacted to his friend. Changyoon himself knew that he gets flustered when he messes up and is incapable of hiding his mistakes, but the settling pain was not because of his mistake. Rather, it was because of the excitement.

As he walked into the school gates that morning, he was met with praise from his friends and classmates. _I had no idea you were that talented! Are you going to stay on the team for next year? You should try auditioning to become an idol_! With each comment, he just nervously bowed his head a little and uttered a few thankful words. No one directly mentioned his scandalous performance, but he _knew_ that it was the highlight for everyone who saw the show.

Changyoon crossed his arms and put his head down on his desk. He wanted just a few moments of silence.

He was interrupted by a hand tapping on the back of his head. “Hey Changyoon!” the deep voice exclaimed. The boy raised his head and turned to look at the disruptor. It was Jaeyoung, one of the other dancers on the team. “I have a friend that went to the show, and he’s asking about Minkyun. Do you know if he’s single?” Jaeyoung had one hand on the desk, and it felt as if he was menacingly looking down on Changyoon.

“Yeah he is,” Changyoon said emotionlessly. He felt that the brevity of his answer conveyed the ‘fuck off, please’ attitude that he wanted the other to notice.

Jaeyoung narrowed his eyes. “Okay, that’s good. But my friend is a guy, so he wants to know if Minkyun is like interested in that sort of thing…”

“I don’t know! Just tell him to stop being a wimp and ask Minkyun himself,” Changyoon dismissively responded. “And shouldn’t you be in your own class?” He felt a pang of anger burn in his chest.

“Okay, fine. I just wanted to ask you since you know Minkyun the most,” Jaeyoung stated in submission. He left the room without the answer he wanted, not expecting the sudden aggression from Changyoon.

Lunch time was only time in the day that Changyoon got to see Minkyun, as they were separated in class by a year. The two learned to cherish their lunch breaks, especially since that was how they met the year before. All it took was a flying basketball to Minkyun’s lunchbox and a frazzled, apologetic Changyoon to jump start their friendship. Since then, they always ate together in the courtyard during nice weather or at a corner table outside the library during bad weather.

Today, with the sun painting rays into the cement, the two convened at their courtyard spot. As Changyoon approached the sitting Minkyun, his eyebrows furrowed in concern. Minkyun hadn’t pulled out his lunch, instead hugging it to his chest in silence. “What’s wrong?” Changyoon asked, taking his seat on the bench next to Minkyun.

The other sighed. “Someone - probably family friends or something - showed a video of our closing performance to my parents yesterday. I looked at it too, and I didn’t realize how much we stood out because it was only us who did the grinding and grabbing,” Minkyun said with a faint chuckle.

“Yeah, don’t you remember me teaching the adjustments for the others? We got warned by other members for it because we are a high school team, after all.”

“I know, I just didn’t realize how, uh, _risky_ our choreography was.” Minkyun progressively looked more somber as he went on. “Anyways, my mom started yelling at me about how inappropriate the dance was, especially since it was between two guys.”

Changyoon’s eyes went wide. “And…?”

“I told her,” Minkyun breathed out, shaky on the last syllable. Changyoon saw tears starting to escape from Minkyun’s eyes, and he saw Minkyun’s hands shaking as they wiped the tears away. Changyoon grabbed his friend’s lunch bag from his arms and tossed it onto the table. With both their arms free, he pulled Minkyun into a side hug, softly rubbing the other’s head with his palm.

“Whatever they said to you doesn’t matter. You were brave for doing that, Kyunnie.” He meant that as a statement to console Minkyun, but it seemed to deepen his sobs instead.

He gasped for a breath in between his crying. “The thing is, she didn’t say anything. And when I got ready this morning, none of them said anything to me. Not a word. What if they hate me, Changyoon? What will I do?”

Changyoon looked around as he continued embracing Minkyun. He was lucky that most of the students were playing games or sports at a distance from them, otherwise he’d feel even more sad that Minkyun was crying with a large audience. “You can always come stay with me. You know how much my parents love you,” he smiled. Minkyun could feel the sunlight through his friend’s words.

“Thank you. Maybe I can just hope that it’ll be better,” he threw out as a suggestion to himself.

“It will!” Changyoon exclaimed. “And I’m sorry I made our choreography too sexy for people to handle. I just wanted that shock factor so maybe I got carried away…” he added. Regardless, for some reason, it felt like a lie as he was saying it out loud.

“No, it’s not your fault at all! The choreography was great, and I wanted to do it, remember? If people were uncomfortable with it, then that’s their fault!” he said defensively. At the very least, Minkyun did not want Changyoon to feel any guilt for this incident. “Now please tell me any good news that you have. I need my mind elsewhere right now.” Minkyun’s tears started to dry up, so he leaned away from Changyoon and disconnected from their hug.

“Oh, umm, I went out to eat with my family after the show. I ate so much meat myself that I’m not allowed to go to a BBQ for the next month,” he laughed. Minkyun returned it with his vibrant giggle.

“How about Jinhee? How is she doing?”

Changyoon paused, suddenly speechless. When he gathered the words that he deemed appropriate, he said, “She’s good. She’s sad she couldn’t come to the show, but she also saw the videos and said she was envious of you.”

Minkyun scrunched his nose in delight, with his newly formed smile reaching his eyes. “I bet I made a bunch of girls jealous of me off that performance alone,” he giggled. “Maybe even guys too.”

Changyoon softly chuckled as a response. The word _jealous_ reminded him of the fire he felt earlier that day, when Jaeyoung was prying about his friend. It reminded him of the off-hand conversations he heard when some female dancers were hoping to be paired with Minkyun. It reminded him of the taste of bitter tea. He looked back at his friend.

“Hey, I bet a bunch of people were jealous of me, too. I got to dance with you, after all,” he offered in return.


	2. Feeling a Little Green

**Summary for the Chapter:**

> Changyoon's feeling green with envy, that is.

“You know, I heard that an upperclassman in your grade has a thing for Minkyun,” the boy said as he fumbled around in his pockets. “Not only that, but it’s a guy, too. What do you think about it?”

Changyoon suspiciously glanced at the other before replying. “I don’t care that much. If he likes Minkyun, then what’s the issue? Minkyun doesn’t have to do anything about it.” He slapped the other’s searching hands and pulled out his own lighter. He let the small fire burn as his friend positioned his cigarette directly above it.

Seungjoon and Changyoon started making it a habit of theirs to meet up in this alley by the school grounds. It was their cheap version of going out to get coffee. Instead of sitting down in the peace of a cafe, they casually chatted in the comfort of their musty alley. Even though the roars of the city life bounced off the walls, it was an environment that was more pleasant to the both of them.

“You should really quit smoking. I don’t think a lot of girls are going to be attracted to you if you get cigarette breath early.” He closed the lid to his lighter and dropped it back in his front pocket.

Seungjoon let the suggestion sit in his head for a second but chose to ignore responding to it. He went back to the original topic he brought up. “Everyone knows you and Minkyun are close, _especially_ after what you did at the show. I just want to know if you’d be jealous of another guy going after him.” He took his second puff and decided to discard the rest of the cigarette.

“I’m pretty sure I don’t have feelings for Minkyun,” he responded flatly. There was a tinge of resentment in his voice, as Changyoon was not one to enjoy being accused of this by his own friend.

“You know, there’s nothing wrong with liking another guy. It could happen,” Seungjoon smirked. He straightened up his posture so that he wasn’t leaning against the wall. “I have one friend who always talked about how much she liked guys and wanted a boyfriend, and then the next time I saw her, she introduced her girlfriend to me.”

Out of politeness, Changyoon kept his eye-rolling internally to himself. “I think I know myself well,” he responded, which triggered an unbelieving ‘Hmm’ from the other. “Who is this guy that likes Minkyun anyways? Why is it such a big deal?”

Seungjoon looked around to make sure that no one walking by would hear his next words. He leaned forward towards Changyoon and said, “It’s Kim Hyojin, that’s why.”

Lee Changyoon froze. _Fuck. “He_ likes Minkyun? Are you sure about that?” he incredulously asked. Seungjoon immediately elbowed his side, as Changyoon’s volume level had jumped three tiers in that one breath.

“Apparently he’s good friends with Jaeyoung, and Jaeyoung has kind of been asking around the dance team about Minkyun.” Changyoon flashed back to last week, when Jaeyoung had disturbed him in class to ask about Minkyun’s relationship status. “It might not be entirely true. But considering that Jaeyoung brought Hyojin to the showcase and Jaeyoung himself does _not_ like Minkyun, it’s a solid theory.

A wave of chills rushed down Changyoon’s arms. Kim Hyojin was the eternally popular kid in his year. The one who played every sport from elementary to high school and still managed to get high grades at the same time. He was someone that was attractive to the point that he got modeling jobs as a kid and contract offers with big companies. To hear that he liked guys would be its own shocking revelation, but Park Minkyun? _No no no…_

“If it’s him, then yeah of course I wouldn’t want him to be anywhere near Minkyun. All I get from him is player vibes, and Minkyun does not need that.” Changyoon crossed his arms in frustration.

“Have you talked to him before? Do you know that?” Seungjoon sensed a whiff of bullshit in the word vomit that was coming out of Changyoon’s mouth.

“No, but I just know it. And I’ve heard things about him,” Changyoon replied defensively, although the ‘things’ that he’d heard were essentially baseless rumors.

“Well, whatever it is, just don’t get too jealous, okay? You might deny it now, but I think there’s something personal about you wanting to keep Minkyun away from Hyojin. I remember that you weren’t excited about putting the finale performance together until you partnered yourself up with Minkyun. _And_ you toned down everyone else’s choreo but kept yours the same. You’re easy to read Changyoon.” With that, Seungjoon backed away from his friend and bent down to retrieve his backpack off the ground. Changyoon was left mute as his brain tried to process an onslaught of emotions and feelings.

“I’ll see you this weekend for auditions,” Seungjoon said as he parted. He knew that he won this exchange with Changyoon, and the other’s reactions easily confirmed everything he suggested.

A few minutes after Seungjoon left, Changyoon gathered himself and turned out of the alley in the opposite direction. He wasn’t sure what his exact emotional state was, but it was definitely angry, as he cursed under his breath for the remainder of his trip home. “I should just let him smoke the rest of his lungs out,” he muttered to himself.

~~~

With the showcase finished, it was time to prepare for mid-year auditions for the group. They tended to garner the most interest directly after their showcase, so they left open spots for potential latecomers to join. Last year, Minkyun and Changyoon were part of that wave, and now it was Changyoon’s turn to do the judging for the next class.

On a crisp autumn Saturday, Changyoon and Minkyun planned to arrive at the auditorium at 11am sharp. As one of the head choreographers, only Changyoon had a seat on the judging panel that made decisions. However, Minkyun simply wanted to tag along and see other students going through the same audition process that he did.

“How can you wear a scarf and not even wrap it?” Minkyun had questioned as they got off the subway stop. It had bothered him the whole time they stood on the subway, but he knew that he didn’t have the balance to fix it on a moving subway. He halted their pace at the platform to grab the ends of his friend’s scarf, wrapping it three times around the other’s neck and neatly tucking it into the jacket collar.

“You tied it too tight!” Changyoon whined, hopping in place.

“Well, you can’t afford to get sick. We have midterms around the corner, don’t you remember?” Minkyun cautiously eyed the other. “Have you even started studying, Changyoon?”

Without a response, Changyoon sprung ahead and started climbing up the stairs. “We’re gonna be late!” He yelled over his shoulder. Minkyun simply laughed and trailed behind, trying to keep up with Changyoon’s ridiculous tempo. As much as Minkyun enjoyed being the responsible one in their friendship, he knew he rarely had to worry about Changyoon because he was the lazy genius who consistently placed at the top of his class.

As they entered the vacant auditorium, Minkyun yet again marveled at the intimidating size of the space. “We were just here for our performance, but it still seems so scary,” he remarked.

“Do you know what’s actually scary?” Changyoon asked, taking the opportunity to lean in and link their arms together.

“What?”

“Boo!” he suddenly exclaimed, giving a violent shake to Minkyun’s body. As expected, Minkyun made a high-pitched scream and jolted in fear.

“Why are you being so mean to me,” he pouted. “You know I can’t do jump-scares, even if you’re right here.” Changyoon simply smiled and leaned into his friend as an apology.

The pair started setting up the room for auditions as they waited for the rest of the panel. They carried tables from backstage and set them up in the first row for the judges and outside the auditorium for check-in. “I’m not even a judge and I’m doing all this work,” Minkyun playfully complained, to which Changyoon gleefully replied with, “We appreciate your hard work! Maybe the others will give you a center part in the next dances.”

Fifteen minutes later, the rest of the panel leisurely strolled down the ramp of the auditorium. Minkyun and Changyoon had been resting in the front row seats, and they turned to look at the entering group of people. “I thought we said to be here at 11!” Changyoon exclaimed at them, although he still gave fist bumps to the people filing in. The fact that all four of them were holding Starbucks drinks explained enough to him.

“The line was so long,” Seungjoon said in their defense, even though he knew he that he did not need to appease Changyoon. The four of them took their seats behind the table next to Changyoon. From left to right, it was Seungjoon, Yooa, Jaeyoung, Seunghee, and Changyoon. The roughly even gender distribution was coincidental, as the panel was formed by choreographers who participated the most in FUZE and headed by the team leader, Seungjoon.

“Minkyun, what are you doing here?” Seunghee asked bluntly. “Did Changyoon tell you that you could judge today?”

Minkyun felt his cheeks heat up. “No, he didn’t. But he said it would be okay if I stayed and watched the auditions,” he replied sheepishly. His eyes nervously darted over to Changyoon, who was also giving an anxious smile.

“Hey! What kind of promises are you making? Don’t you remember that we decided not to have an audience this year so that they don’t get more nervous?” Seungjoon yelled to the other end of the table.

“I just… thought it’d be okay if only Minkyun could sit in and watch. He said he really wanted to,” he said softly. He was starting to get flustered, so he decided against making eye contact with anyone else in the room.

“I don’t think it’d be fair if we let only Minkyun in here to see the auditions. Minkyun, why don’t you go outside and help the others with checking in? You can chat with the people auditioning and greet them,” Yooa suggested.

“Okay, I can do that,” he replied with an embarrassed smile. He left his seat next to Changyoon and swiftly ducked out of the room. Changyoon knew that Seungjoon was looking at him with a stupid grin on his face, so he removed any trace of a reaction from his exterior. On the inside, though, he sighed and pouted that Minkyun was unable to stay.

One by one, the prospective members of FUZE flowed in at 12. There were about 50 auditions to sit through for 10-15 spots on the team, so the panel aimed to finish the entire process within two hours or so. They had profiles and audition applications spread out on the table for note taking, and they took each transition as a moment to deliberate on the person that had just danced.

Outside, Minkyun sat with two other teammates at the check-in table. With the attendance paper, he recorded everyone who showed up and made sure to give each person a kind compliment, as he knew the same feeling of anxiety. Halfway through the auditions, a red-haired boy gently approached the table. “What’s your name and year?” Minkyun asked.

“Kim Hyojin, third year.” After writing down the information, Minkyun looked up and gave a warm smile to the handsome student.

“I like your hair color,” he complimented the other. “I always wanted to dye my hair red, but I think you pull it off better than I ever would,” he chuckled.

“I think you would look good in any hair color,” Hyojin smiled, deftly returning the compliment. “Also, I saw you at the show last week. I thought you were amazing, like one of the best dancers of the night,” he added.

“Oh, thank you,” Minkyun awkwardly replied. He was unaccustomed to receiving all these compliments at once, so he was confused about how he should respond. “Um… good luck on your audition! I hope you do well,” he said, returning to the similar line that he gave to everyone walking in. Hyojin nodded and moved to the side to await his call time.

When Hyojin came out of the auditorium, he turned to give Minkyun a shy wave before leaving. Minkyun took his demeanor to be a sign that his audition went well and returned the wave with a vibrant smile. Nevertheless, considering that the panel didn’t ask for anyone for ten minutes, he felt a bit confused as to why they would be deliberating for so long.

Contrary to Minkyun’s impression of Hyojin’s audition, chaos ensued inside the auditorium.

“I don’t want him!” Changyoon exclaimed in an outburst of rage at the other four. “I don’t know why we should accept him solely based on his potential and his looks. He was average at best,” he scoffed. The conversation had suddenly intensified, as Changyoon was unsatisfied with how approving the rest of the panel seemed to be. They had gone back and forth about Hyojin’s audition, and he felt that the others were letting him slide because he was popular and charismatic.

Changyoon looked at the other end of the table to see Seungjoon nonchalantly laid back in his seat, smug as hell. He was tempted to go over to him and smack the grin off his face, a grin that taunted Changyoon for being _jealous._ If only the other three members were not here.

“I think everyone today so far is average, but he is on the better end,” Jaeyoung offered. Changyoon slightly tilted his head in acknowledgement, though he knew to disregard any of Jaeyoung’s opinions on this matter.

“I agree with Changyoon, actually,” Yooa said. “It was a dance cover, and it was just kind of bland? It was lacking something, and we’ve already seen many people today who are better than him in skill. Hyojin just seems to be in the mid-tier for me.” Changyoon clapped his hands together and pointed at Yooa in agreement.

“Alright, we’ve been at it for a long time already, and we still have like 20 auditions to go,” Seunghee said, aware that the argument could drag on even longer. “Let’s just put a question mark by his name, and we can get back to it at the end of auditions.” Everyone nodded in agreement, prompting Changyoon to calmly sit back down (he had been the only one standing due to his tantrum).

It was 3 when they were officially cleaned up and leaving the auditorium. Changyoon, this time starting out with his tight Minkyun-wrap scarf, waddled alongside his friend in the fall breeze.

“Let’s go get BBQ!” Changyoon enthusiastically suggested. Part of the motive behind his suggestion was that they skipped lunch and he was hungry, but the larger driving force was that the final lineup did _not_ include Hyojin. Even when they looked over the final list of dancers that they were going to accept, Seungjoon and Changyoon made direct eye contact and smirked at each other. It was a happy day, indeed.

Minkyun felt giddy at the sudden energy of his friend. “Didn’t you say that you can’t go to BBQ for the rest of the month?”

“Yes, but my parents don’t have to know that. Let’s just go - it’ll be my treat.” Changyoon looked into Minkyun’s eyes and raised his eyebrows. As the older one, he usually liked treating Minkyun regardless, but today was an occasion to celebrate (yeah yeah, he was aware that it sounded awful to celebrate someone’s bad news).

“You know I can’t turn down an offer for you to buy me food,” Minkyun smiled. Changyoon excitedly yelled an energetic ‘Woo!’ and briefly side-hugged the other. In his excitement, he also decided to slip his right hand into Minkyun’s, interlacing their fingers together as they neared the school entrance.

Minkyun severely blushed at the action. Him and Changyoon were normally touchy as friends, but they had never once held hands - let alone in public. “Why are you like this today?” he suspiciously questioned. “You might make people misunderstand,” he said with nervous laughter, trying to conceal his shyness.

“Ah, who cares?” Changyoon said with confidence, and Minkyun was not one to keep questioning the other’s bold actions. Thus, hand in hand, they happily walked to the nearest BBQ place and ate their hearts out.

**Notes for the Chapter:**

> Please let me know how you are enjoying this story! I appreciate the support!


	3. Comfortable and Able to Comfort

**Summary for the Chapter:**

> Changyoon and Minkyun comfort each other and maybe share a bed in the process?

Changyoon sat at his desk, hastily scribbling last-minute notes for his midterm exams tomorrow. He knew that he would pull through in the end, but for once he cared about the rankings. This time, for his peace of mind, Kim Hyojin needed to be below him.

He heard his phone vibrate on the bed behind him. Changyoon initially ignored it, figuring it was a text or some app notification, but the persisting vibrations let him know that it was a phone call. He rolled backwards in his chair and picked up his phone to answer it. The words ‘ _My Minkyun <3 is calling’_ spread out across the screen. Changyoon immediately swiped his finger to answer.

“What’s up?” he asked. It was unlike Minkyun to call this late in the night.

“Can I come stay the night at your place?” the voice softly asked. “I just need to get out of my home right now.”

Changyoon’s eyes widened. “Are you hurt, Minkyun? Do you need me to call the ambulance or the police for you?” He felt his heartbeat and his breathing slightly speed up.

“No, I’m fine. I just got into an argument with my parents and I’d rather be anywhere else.”

“That’s good to hear.” He paused to exhale a sigh of relief. “My parents are sleeping but I can let you in. I’m sure they’ll understand in the morning, anyways. Call me again when you get here, okay?”

“Okay, I’m on my way.” The call was ended by Minkyun.

Changyoon rolled himself back over to continue his studies, but the concerns in the back of his mind interrupted any thought process for his calculus study guide. He stood up and paced his bedroom in anticipation of his friend, eventually collapsing into his bed with his phone in hand. About half an hour after their call had ended, his right hand started vibrating.

Instead of immediately picking up the phone, Changyoon quietly exited his room and made his way to the front door of his house. He opened the door to a clearly exhausted Minkyun, the darkness unable to hide his somber expression. “Come on in,” he whispered, beckoning the other to follow him into his bedroom.

As soon as he gently closed the door, Changyoon moved over to give Minkyun a tight hug. He felt Minkyun dig his chin into his shoulder. “Do you want to talk about it?” he asked sensitively.

“No, not really.” the other answered briefly. As they maintained their contact, Changyoon slowly rubbed his hands over Minkyun’s back.

“Let’s just go to sleep then,” he suggested, noticing that it was already past 11:30. He separated from their hug to walk over to the bed. “I have two blankets, so you can sleep on my bed, and I can just sleep on the floor right here.” The boy started separating his two blankets and tossed one onto the floor.

“No don’t be stupid, I can sleep on the ground. I’m the guest here,” Minkyun argued.

“No, _because_ you’re the guest, you sleep on the bed. Don’t argue with me, Minkyun,” Changyoon fired back. This politeness argument was not one that Changyoon wanted to lose.

“Then why don’t we just both sleep on the bed?” the other suggested.

“Yeah, we can do that,” Changyoon replied, although his intuition told him it was a bad idea for him. Regardless, he listened to Minkyun and returned his blanket to the bed. He gestured for Minkyun to enter the bed first so that he could sleep closer to the wall. After Minkyun was settled in, he went over to his desk to turn off his laptop and lamp.

“Oh, were you studying for exams?” Minkyun asked as Changyoon slipped under the covers.

“Yeah but screw it. I’ll be fine in the end,” he replied with classic confidence, squirming around in his position. Minkyun’s chuckles bounced off the wall.

“Hey, Changyoon,” he started out, rotating his body to face the other. “You never told anyone, right? That I’m gay?”

“Nope, never.”

Minkyun sighed, softly tapping Changyoon’s shoulder. “That means a lot to me,” he said quietly, his words peacefully flowing under the moonlight.

“You know you can trust me, Minkyun. We’re friends after all,” Changyoon replied, but for the first time, he felt that the term ‘friends’ didn’t properly encapsulate their relationship. He shifted to his playful side to ease the weight of the conversation. “And if anyone ever comes after you for being gay, I will personally kick their ass,” he added jokingly.

Minkyun chuckled again, but this time it was fainter than before. He started drifting off to sleep facing Changyoon, his breath like a whisper. Changyoon stared at him for just a minute, and then he decided he would just look for another minute before it turned into 15 minutes. He simply felt comfortable seeing his friend sleep in front of him, in a place where Changyoon knew he was safe. He turned away to face the edge and closed his eyes.

When Changyoon woke up, the moon was still in its full bloom. He heard the body behind him shift multiple times and felt the blankets adjust. Not only that, he heard a few muted sobs fill the room, followed by more tossing and turning. He turned around to look at Minkyun, seeing his open eyes and tear-streaked face.

Without a word, he leaned in and embraced his crying friend. If he were the same Changyoon at the start of their friendship, he would joke and call this moment ‘super gay.’ However, at this exact time, he just knew that his responsibility was to comfort Minkyun. While in their embrace, Changyoon returned to his slumber.

The appearance of the sun was accompanied by Changyoon’s blaring phone alarm. Once he finally submitted to it, he kicked off the blankets and swung his legs over to a sitting position. He looked around the room and noticed that he was alone. Upon grabbing his phone and disabling the alarm, a string of text messages floated at the top of the screen from Minkyun.

_I didn’t want to make my parents think that I went missing, so I went home. I’ll see you after exams today. Good luck!_

With a disappointed sigh, Changyoon stood up and started cleaning up his desk. He grinned as he left his room, as it still smelled like Minkyun. A smell that he couldn’t articulate in words, but it was particular enough that he could tell that his friend’s presence was there.

~~~

Outside the classroom, Changyoon hurriedly flipped through his flashcards. He had less than five minutes before they would start letting students into the room, so he anxiously tried to review his entire stack. As he neared the last quarter of the deck, he stumbled upon a random blank card that had found its way into the pile. Puzzled, he flipped the blank card to check the back of it. On it, it said:

_Lee Changyoon - If you’re reading this flashcard, then this means you are freaking out last minute. Stop being nervous. You are a genius and I know that you will be #1 in your class with this exam. Make me proud! Minkyun._

Around the text, Minkyun also drew stick figure representations of them and random doodles. Changyoon looked at the card and removed it from the deck. He folded it up and tucked it into his phone case. He put away the flashcard deck in his backpack and joined the crowd of students by the door, standing with the confidence given to him.

~~~

The next day, proudly displayed at the top in fine print, was the name ‘Lee Changyoon’. “Yes!” Changyoon exclaimed to himself as he scanned the calculus exam scores. Lately, he was lucky enough to score above 90%, but for the first time in his academic career, he scored a full 100% on a major exam. To top things off, Kim Hyojin was at a comfortable five places below him, which sweetened his personal victory.

“How does it feel to be friends with a true genius?” he confidently said as soon as he saw Minkyun. The latter had just arrived at their indoor lunch table, knowing that Changyoon had something to say once he saw his cheeky smile from afar.

Changyoon slid his phone over to Minkyun, who looked at the picture intently. “Number one??” he exclaimed in astonishment. “I had no idea you were capable of this sort of thing,” he continued incredulously. “You’re amazing.” Minkyun clapped his hands in acknowledgement, and Changyoon received the praise with a graceful bow.

“You know, I think it’s because you predicted it,” Changyoon smiled. “I found your notecard just before I had to go into the classroom.”

“Then maybe I am actually a prophet.” Minkyun’s pupils dilated as if they were growing with his smile.

“Whatever you are, you should keep giving me more good luck. Imagine all the great things I can accomplish!” he exaggerated, tossing up his hands with a dramatic flourish.

“Yah! Don’t be so quick to just use me like that,” Minkyun argued back, although the idea of him being Changyoon’s good luck charm was comforting to hear.

“I can do whatever I want,” the other teased. “Anyways, this calls for ice cream,” he declared, rising from his seat. “I’ll be right back with your dessert, prophet Minkyun,” he said over his shoulder as he left. The remaining boy at the table laughed to himself, feeling luckier that he was able to find such a great friend.


	4. Rookie Mistake(s)

**Summary for the Chapter:**

> Minkyun makes a string of questionable decisions.

“Lee Changyoon!” The boom of the speakers echoed within the auditorium walls.

As Minkyun stared at the program in his hands, he reflected on his turbulent year. At home, it was a year-long feeling of eternal silence and awkward moments between him and his parents. Moments filled with emptiness, sadness, and regret. Minkyun thought back to the day where he let his emotions spill over and echo the truth to his mother. It was such a liberating feeling to say it aloud, but at what cost? 

As Changyoon crossed the stage to receive his diploma, Minkyun shouted at the top of his lungs. “I love you, Changyoon!” he screamed with excitement, alongside the rest of Changyoon’s family and friends. Changyoon himself couldn’t pinpoint where any of the cheers for him were coming from, but he smiled when he heard the “I love you.”

A tranquil year had passed within their friendship. A year of Changyoon comforting Minkyun when he was frustrated, a year of them sharing countless meals together, a year of them enjoying each other’s presence. Subconsciously, Changyoon started drifting away from his main group of dance friends to spend more time with Minkyun, earning them a reputation for their inseparable relationship. Whenever one was missing, the other was called to ask for their location. Consequently, Minkyun received dozens of texts and calls from friends asking where Changyoon was. Most times, he knew the answer though.

Changyoon always saved the favorite parts of his choreo for Minkyun. He liked it when Minkyun had moments to shine in his dances, and the other was always grateful that Changyoon believed in him. For Minkyun’s sake, Changyoon never made another dance as risky as their finale performance, but many times he was tempted to. Regardless, dance practices were always a fun experience to share for them, and it extended their time together.

Hyojin lurked here and there around Minkyun, although Changyoon was quick to fend him off subtly. He was not sure if Hyojin ever tried approaching Minkyun directly, but Changyoon made sure that there would never be an opportunity as long as he was with Minkyun. He remembered a specific incident that year where he and Minkyun were eating their standard lunch out in the courtyard. 

Changyoon had noticed Kim Hyojin playing soccer in the field by them, obviously staring and trying to get Minkyun’s attention. Minkyun did not seem to take notice of the red-haired boy, but for good measure Changyoon rested his head onto Minkyun’s shoulder and wrapped his arms around Minkyun’s waist. The sudden affection startled the onlooking Hyojin, but it was so normalized for them that Minkyun made no comment.

Now, Changyoon was onto new goals. With his bright mind, he had been accepted into the prestigious Yonsei University for business - a feat that he and Minkyun celebrated with stacks of pizza boxes and ice cream. Minkyun was sad to hear that his friend would leave him behind at high school, but the knowledge that he would still be in the same city was comforting. 

After the ceremony finished and all group pictures were taken, Changyoon pulled Minkyun over to the side. “There’s a party tonight at a senior’s house. Will you come with me?” Minkyun scrunched his face in thought, trying to process the offer. “I know that Seungjoon and other friends of ours will be there,” Changyoon added, trying to seal the deal.

“I don’t think my parents would let me go out today. And also, I feel like you should celebrate today with your other senior friends. We will always see each other, anyways,” Minkyun responded. He braced himself for Changyoon’s whining, but he was met with a different response.

“Oh...okay. I think you’re right. We’ll still hang out even if I’m not at this school,” Changyoon said, although he felt as if he said it to comfort himself. “So, I’ll see you soon, Minkyun,” he said, pulling the other into a full hug. “And thank you for coming to the ceremony. I really really really appreciate you.” Minkyun grinned, as he always felt his insides warm when Changyoon used his gentle voice. The two parted, with Changyoon giddily running back to his family. 

~~~

“Kyunnie kyunnie~”

“Why are you calling me so late?”

“Because I missed you so much that I had to call.”

The other voice on the line slurred so much that each syllable dragged out a few extra seconds. Minkyun was at first irritated to be woken up from a midnight phone call, but hearing Changyoon cutely slur his words reversed his mood. “Where are your friends? Are you alone?” he asked to make sure Changyoon was safe.

“Yes, they’re all nearby. Besides, Seungjoon didn’t drink today so he is in charge of all of us. Woo!” The drunk enthusiasm in Changyoon’s voice made Minkyun chuckle. “Minkyun, what are you doing right now?”

“I was sleeping when you called, Changyoon.” He feigned a tone of annoyance to get a reaction out of the other.

“What? This early? Noooooooo, don’t do that. Come to the party right now! I’ll text you the address of the apartment. I miss youuuuuu.”

“I don’t think I want to try sneaking out this late. I might get caught,” he frowned.

“No just do it for me! If you get caught just say that I was drunk and needed help getting home.” Minkyun rolled his eyes at the poor-sounding excuse. “I also won’t go home until I see you here, Minkyun,” he threatened.

“Are you being serious? Fine I’ll just stop by for a bit,” Minkyun conceded. He could have argued and refused to go, but a part of him wanted to see drunk Changyoon in person, especially if he was acting this cute. He had never seen this extreme side of Changyoon, so maybe the risk of getting caught would be worth it.

After changing into jeans and a pullover, Minkyun gently tiptoed out his front door with success. He routed himself to the address of the party and made it there within 20 minutes of the subway and walking. The house seemed packed on the outside in addition to the dispersed groups of people smoking outside by the street. Minkyun entered as people were leaving, immediately hit with waves of music and heat. While his senses went into overdrive at the stimulation, he scanned the room to look for any familiar faces.

Noticing Seungjoon walking towards a hallway, Minkyun yelled and intercepted him. “Hey! Where’s Changyoon at? He drunk called me.”

Seungjoon smirked and pointed in the opposite direction. “He’s over there on the couch. He’s  _ very _ gone, though. Like, I mean he’s just spouting random shit at this point. I’ve been only giving him cups of water for the past hour, though, so he should be okay.” The two of them backed up against the walls to let people pass through the narrow hallways.

“Oh, hi Jinhee,” Minkyun greeted as soon as he recognized one of the people passing by. However, she just responded with a brief smile and walked on through. “Oh? Is she okay?” Minkyun asked the other with curiosity.

“Wait, he never told you? They broke up at the very beginning of the year,” Seungjoon replied with a chuckle. The revelation made Minkyun scrunch his eyebrows in confusion, so Seungjoon simply gave him a friendly tap on the shoulder and pushed him towards Changyoon’s direction. “You should probably ask him about it in person. He’s probably willing to tell you anything at this point.” Seungjoon gave a parting wave to Minkyun, and the other set off on his search for his friend.

Sure enough, Changyoon was alone and sprawled out in the corner section of the living room couch. He was wearing ripped light-washed denim jeans with a matching jean jacket and a white T-shirt. For once, his hair was neatly parted with what looks to be gel. Under the dim lighting, Minkyun could see that his face was a strawberry-red color.

“Minkyun!!! You came!” he yelled out over the roar of the music. He bounced up in his seat and clapped his hand excitedly. “Come here and give me a kiss, Minkyun,” he cutely slurred, opening up his arms wide. 

With a hesitant sigh, Minkyun leaned in and pressed his lips to Changyoon’s cheek. It felt as warm as the air in the room. The other frowned and shook his head, grasping at Minkyun’s shirt with his hands. “Here,” he gestured, tapping his index finger on his lips.

“I know you’re drunk, Changyoon, but please don’t be like this,” Minkyun complained, pulling away from the couch. He stood up straight and quickly scoped out the room for anyone that might be staring at them. 

“I just love you sooo much that I want to show it! What’s wrong with that, huh?” He swung his arms from side-to-side and squirmed in his spot.

Minkyun thought back to what Seungjoon said, and decided to start his entertaining investigation of his drunk friend. He sat down next to Changyoon. “So, why didn’t you tell me that you broke up with Jinhee at the beginning of the year?”

Changyoon pouted and gently punched Minkyun’s shoulder. “I wanted to, but it didn’t seem so important. I didn’t like her that much anyways.” Another punch to the shoulder. “I didn’t even spend a lot of time with her when we started dating. I’d rather spend time with  _ you _ ,” he giggled, and it was enough to set Minkyun’s heart aflutter.

“Is this a confession?” Minkyun playfully prodded, sparking an immediate reaction of panic from Changyoon. He knew he was toeing the boundaries of their relationship, but he felt the confidence to do it considering the circumstances.

“No!” Changyoon yelled in protest, his strawberry-red tone converting into a crimson shade. “I’m just being honest. You know, Minkyun, while I’m being honest...” There was a random pause as he leaned forward to put his chin on Minkyun’s shoulder. Minkyun was slightly shaking in anticipation, although Changyoon couldn’t notice it.

“What?”

“I think we should also have more sleepover parties!” The energy dissipated inside Minkyun. “I know we didn’t plan it that last time - also I’m really sorry that you felt bad because you were sad and it made me sad. But anyways, yeah more sleepover parties! I think you look so cute when you sleep, like I just want to pinch your cheeks!” Finishing that last breath of run-on nonsense, he brought up his hand to grab at Minkyun’s face.

Minkyun swatted Changyoon’s hands away, hoping that no one at the party was going to misunderstand. Nevertheless, although there were people scattered all across the room, a line of them in fact walking behind Minkyun, he felt that he was in a private space with Changyoon. No one seemed to pay them much attention.

“Wait! You thought I forgot, didn’t you? You still didn’t give me a kiss.” He lifted his chin to look at the other, instantly met with an uncomfortable frown. “Come on, you’ve never kissed anyone, right? I wanna be the first.” He bent forward and grasped Minkyun’s wrist with both hands. He nuzzled his head into the other’s arm and uttered a drawn-out “Pleaseeeeeeee.” 

“If I just kiss you for a second, will you stop annoying me about this?” 

“Yes yes yes, I promise,” Changyoon happily replied. He straightened his posture and faced the other with a smile. His eyes naturally hovered over Minkyun’s lips, locking onto his target. He added, “Okay, so since it’s the third year that we’ve known each other, let’s kiss three times! One for each year.” He thrusted up three fingers into the air to prove his point.

“Aren’t you starting to get greedy now? I’ll do two, but no more than that” Minkyun asked, although there was no malice behind his complaint. He enjoyed playing along with Changyoon’s antics, and seeing him drunk was the cutest sight before him. 

Changyoon lacked the urge to respond with words, so he leaned forward instead.

The first one was just a peck. Nothing about it was strange to Minkyun, as it was just a new feeling. Like kissing a cheek, but it was a softer surface instead. When he rebounded from the kiss, he looked back into Changyoon’s eyes, expecting some sort of witty response. Seeing that his expression was as blank as Minkyun’s, Minkyun leaned in to connect again.

The second kiss felt more proper. He started taking in the texture of his friend’s lips, and the two slightly intensified the motion longer. Minkyun smelt the pungent alcohol on Changyoon’s breath, but it was nothing startling enough to disrupt them. Changyoon’s hands moved up to caress Minkyun’s face, and one of them slid down to grip the back of his neck.

All that Minkyun could think about was the satisfaction of this moment.  _ This is what he wanted. _ His crush on Changyoon did not seem to ever go away, no matter how much he tried. And for once, he had the opportunity to give into it, to just screw all the complex parts of a friendship and make out with Lee Changyoon. But as soon as he felt the other’s tongue pushing forward at his lips, he felt hit by a wave of realization.  _ This is what he wanted, but this is not how he wanted it. _

Minkyun immediately broke their contact and took a rapid gulp of air. He looked around to see that most of the room was now empty, save for a few people hanging out by the hallway. “I should get going. I’ll make sure Seungjoon gets you home safely,” he said hurriedly. The last thing he saw was Changyoon’s frozen expression, for once at a loss of words.

After unsuccessfully searching around the house for Seungjoon, Minkyun decided to just send him a text that he was leaving and that Changyoon was still in the same spot that he left him. As soon as he sent the message, he went out the door and angrily stomped down the steps. 

“Idiot Changyoon,” he said out loud to himself, as if the universe would hear and take action. As he waved down the nearest taxi, he swam in his thoughts. Thoughts about his idiot friend, his friend who kept pushing the boundaries of their relationship.

He recalled the first day he ran into Changyoon during his lunch break. There were people who took his usual outdoor table, so he settled for the shade of a thick oak tree. Cross-legged, he pulled out his half-assed sandwich and took a bite. Unfortunately as soon as he set his sandwich on top of his bag, a spiraling basketball trampled his lunch and bounded off the tree into the grass.

“Sorry!” Changyoon had yelled out, running directly towards Minkyun. “Are you okay?”

“I’m fine,” he shyly said. He got off the ground to retrieve the ball for the other, ignoring his food that was now dispersed all over the grass.

“Oh no, your lunch got ruined though,” Changyoon noticed with delay. “Here, I’ll go buy you food from the cafeteria. I’m really sorry, though,” he apologetically said. As a result, that was their first lunch together, which led to more and more lunches thereafter. 

That first impression of Changyoon was memorable to Minkyun not because Changyoon was sweet, but because it gave Minkyun the flutters for the first time. He knew he was interested in guys already, but he had never run into one that just made him melt inside. If there was any feeling that he could remember from when they first, it was the feeling of being lovestruck. 

Maybe that’s why he was so upset. Because drunk Changyoon wouldn’t be kissing him otherwise. He was probably just being his normal, chaotic self with an alcohol enhancement. He might not even remember any of it when morning came. If Changyoon really liked him, then he would say something about it.

These were the thoughts that swarmed Minkyun’s head for the rest of the night.


	5. His Promise

**Summary for the Chapter:**

> Minkyun makes a promise to himself. Changyoon does the same.

When he woke up in someone else’s bed, his first thoughts led him to Minkyun. Considering that he had never been to Minkyun’s house (under the other’s insistence that they don’t go there), it was the first theory he jumped to. He sat up and looked around the bedroom, seeing blandly blue walls with minimal indication of any personal touch. No pictures, posters, or any decorations for that matter.

Changyoon felt around the bed for his phone, noticing that it was not in his jean pockets. Unable to find it, his eyes then focused on the discarded jacket on the floor. He bent down to grab his jacket and successfully pulled out his phone as the bedroom door opened. 

“You’re finally up,” Seungjoon greeted him, clad in a tank top and athletic shorts. “Sleep well?”

“No,” he frowned, feeling his head pound from the hangover. His clearest memory was the back to back shots with his classmates before it all faded to black. “How bad was I last night?”

“You were pretty well behaved. You passed out on the couch, and you pretty much stayed there the whole night. You should ask Minkyun though,” the other responded, his smugness evident from the way he raised his eyebrows. “He talked to you the longest.”

“Minkyun was there? Oh no, I hope I didn’t do anything stupid.”

“Why would you be worried about doing anything stupid in front of Minkyun,” Seungjoon smirked, immediately met with a flying pillow. 

“Where’s the bathroom?”

“Down the hall, last door on the right. There’s medicine for your headache, and if you need to vomit, don’t feel shy. You threw up like two times there already.” With his remaining dignity, Changyoon walked past his friend and headed to the bathroom. As he walked, he went through his call history to check for any drunk calls, and sure enough, there was only one to Park Minkyun.

That morning, he added three more vomiting sessions to make a total of five.

The next time Minkyun and Changyoon met up for lunch, it was outside their usual spot at school. With the year wrapped up, they decided to have lunch at a food court near the school. They sat at a two-person table with their bowls of black bean noodles, the only conversation taking the form of weak smiles. Minkyun separated his chopsticks and went for his food, debating if he should speak first.

Lucky for him, Changyoon decided to run his mouth faster. “So, I heard you were there at the party after graduation,” he said while looking at his bowl.

Minkyun paused his eating and looked up. “Do you not remember anything from that night?” he asked the other.

“No.... I vaguely remember that you were there. But I don’t remember anything after that,” Changyoon frowned. He took a sip of his soda and adjusted his sitting position.

“You were just acting very cute, that’s it. Nothing embarrassing, if that’s what you’re worried about.” It was a complete lie and Minkyun knew it, but the last thing he wanted to talk about was the fact that their lips smashed hard in a non-platonic way.

“That’s good to hear,” Changyoon replied with a chuckle. “I’m also sorry if I woke you up when I called you. You didn’t have to come to the party and risk getting caught.”

“It’s okay,” Minkyun smiled. “You were being cute, and I never saw you that drunk before. How could I not show up?” He twisted his noodles around his chopsticks and took another bite of his lunch, hoping that Changyoon would not thoroughly ask about what he did that night. Just the thought of their kiss - his first kiss, too - made his heart race. Regardless, Minkyun knew that he would be screwed if he ever admitted his true feelings to Chanyoon.

He promised that he would keep this to himself.

~~~

After warm months of hanging out together without the pressures of school, the party faded into the background. The crush still had not left Minkyun, but he tried to make it bearable for himself by emphasizing his friend’s straightness. Whenever the opportunity arose to talk about their dating lives, Minkyun always asked Changyoon about pretty girls at their school. Sometimes he would even recommend specific ones.  _ “Oh I know her, she’s a friend of so-and-so, do you want me to ask?” _ Even though Changyoon usually shook his head and complained that Minkyun was being too nosy, it made Minkyun’s crush feel unattainable - exactly what he wanted.

The few times that Changyoon asked Minkyun about guys, he only responded that he did not really like any of the guys at their school. In his opinion, they were either sleazy or immature. Changyoon had thoughtfully nodded in agreement, although he was internally smiling and pumping his fist.

During August, with the knowledge that they were going to separate soon, they decided to maximize their hang-outs. They did their classic lunches at food courts and restaurants, but they also added in karaoke dates, museum visits, and nature walks. Everything that they did seemed and felt over-the-top for their friendship, but it was nevertheless their source of joy.

The two of them spent one sunny afternoon at the stream, having a picnic consisting of street food and ice cream. As soon as they sat down with their food, Minkyun ripped off his socks and rolled up his pants to dip his feet into the cool water. Changyoon naturally followed suit and set the food in between them. Rice cakes, fried chicken, and calamari - a budget meal fit for kings.

“Oh, you know Jaeyoung?” Minkyun asked as he waded his feet back and forth. “He has a friend that’s also going to Yonsei next year. I thought she was kind of pretty, so I told him to give me her Instagram. She might be your type,” he said, pulling out his phone to show his friend pictures.

Changyoon was already reluctant to listen as soon as he heard that it was another of Minkyun’s matchmaking attempts. Sure, he was in agreement that she was pretty, but something kept him feeling unsettled. “What do you think my type is, Minkyun?” he asked, poking his toothpick into the cup of rice cakes.

“I don’t know, really. I figured pretty, cute, outgoing, and maybe even a little chaotic? Minkyun teased.

“That sounds like I’d be dating myself,” he fully laughed, to the point where he had to bend away and snort. The ridiculous noise of the snort triggered a wave of Minkyun’s laughter, his hand rapidly slapping at Changyoon’s thigh with amusement. They had to move their food away from the edge out of the fear that they would knock it over during their outburst.

When the laughter subsided, Minkyun decided to change into a serious tone. “I’ll miss you when you go off to college, you know. I don’t think I’ll have anyone to eat lunch with every day, and dance won’t be as fun,” he admitted.

Changyoon was startled by the sudden confession, unsure of how to respond. “We’ll still see each other outside of school. You don’t have to act like we’re separating for good,” he replied with a nervous giggle.

“I know, but I’m just saying that you’ll probably get busy with school, and it’s okay if you get busy.” The more Minkyun talked, the more depressed he got at the thought of being alone again next year. He had a larger friend group now, but a lack of Changyoon would leave a big hole in his daily schedule.

The other huffed and wrapped his arm around Minkyun’s shoulder, pulling him inwards so that their heads rested on each other. “No matter what happens, we will always be friends. And even if I am busy, I’m not gonna just forget you so easily.”

Changyoon moved his gaze from the water to Minkyun, seeing the similar clearness in his eyes. It was that moment in which he simultaneously felt his heart pound and his stomach sink. He tightened his grip, feeling the other sigh softly. The heat was making his position uncomfortable, and there was sweat beading on his palms, but he had no urge to let go.

He flashed back to his moments of jealousy, when he made it his mission to keep Kim Hyojin away from Minkyun. He also flashed back to the night that Minkyun spent in his room, where he just wanted to comfort Minkyun and wipe his tears away. With girls, Changyoon had only taken them out on dates and at the most, made out with them at some point. Yet here, there was some sort of attachment that he couldn’t explain. He only knew that he did not want to let go of Minkyun, whatever these feelings may be.

He promised that he would keep this to himself.


	6. A Cause for Celebration

**Summary for the Chapter:**

> Time passes and Minkyun tries to cope. In celebration of good news, he turns to Changyoon.
> 
> Includes first part of Neon with slight edits.

One year passed, and already it felt like Changyoon was drifting away from Minkyun. Even though he promised that he would make time in spite of his busy schedule, his busy schedule seemed to entirely take over him. They still met up and had their variety of dates, but there was a different element that seemed to shake Minkyun.

It was still the same Changyoon that he knew, the Changyoon that was excited at every second and could fill hours with his rambling, but there was a shift in his demeanor. He stopped holding hands and linking arms with Minkyun in public, and he started complaining more about being single.

One time while they were slightly buzzed in Changyoon’s dorm room, Changyoon began a rant about all the girls he was talking to, frustrated that none of them were ‘loyal’. Minkyun took a heavy sip of his beer and huffed at his friend’s complaints.

“Sorry Yoonie, but you know _I’d_ be loyal if we dated,” he joked, leading Changyoon to flick his forehead. Minkyun started making such jokes about them being a couple at the same time that Changyoon started complaining about his love life, making these exchanges an annoying part of their dynamic.

With the strange tones of their relationship, neither of them dared to get close to black-out drunk in front of each other (or at all, for that matter), so they usually tended towards tipsy and safe banter. After they made their usual jokes, they would move onto different subjects. Hence, none of their true emotions would ever spill out.

Minkyun returned to FUZE for his last year, not confident enough to become a choreographer, but hard-working enough to become a memorable performer. His dance friends offered to eat lunch with him, which he did accept a few times, but a majority of his lunches were yet again spent outside under the shade of a tree. When he was at the tree by the basketball court, he would sometimes imagine a basketball bouncing towards him with an apologetic but cute boy trailing behind. Needless to say, he was left undisturbed during his lunches.

When Minkyun graduated, it was memorable because this time he walked the stage, and Changyoon was proudly cheering for him with his friends in the crowd. The pictures that he took lacked the presence of his parents, though Changyoon readily filled the absence.

There were not any crazy parties that happened on the night of graduation, but the day reminded Minkyun of what happened the year before. But this time, he settled for pictures in his gown and a direct trip home, ending with a quiet night devoid of drunk calls.

~~~

Minkyun should have been satisfied with the dwindling energy of his relationship with Changyoon, as his crush faded with it, but he found himself to be more saddened instead.

Like that, another year passed.

While Changyoon continued his studies at Yonsei, Minkyun attended Hongik University nearby and focused on the sciences. For his own personal sake, he chose to stay at the dorms for two years in a row, eager to be away from his family. His parents were still the same, supporting him financially but quick to denounce his sexuality. At least with living in the dormitory, Minkyun avoided returning home to them every night.

He maintained contact with Changyoon as best as he could, sending texts every few weeks or so, getting monthly drinks with him when it was possible. Otherwise, it was silence.

Even so, college never changed their dynamic. When they were together, Minkyun would feel a soft flutter in his chest whenever Changyoon laid his head on his shoulder or playfully hit him. Similarly, Changyoon would go into a small panic whenever Minkyun tightly hugged him or flashed a full smile at him. This part of their relationship was very intact, yet now there was an unspoken boundary that both of them respected and never crossed.

During his first year of college, Minkyun tried to drown out his thoughts of Changyoon with other guys. With the power of dating apps, he started conversations with other guys at his university and went on dates for the first time. They reminded him of his outings with Changyoon, only with clearly established romantic interest. Most guys were cute and nice to talk to, but Minkyun never ended up with any spark of interest. Consequently, he never followed up with a second date.

Other than dating, Minkyun also pushed back Changyoon thoughts with the rigorous academic life he set for himself. He tried to focus on classes, studying, and acing his exams above everything else. When he scanned for job opportunities during his freshman year, he applied for and stuck with a volunteering position in the Jung Cancer Research Lab. With the strenuous hours and workload of a lab member, he had barely enough time to even think about himself.

It was an autumn weekday in his cancer research lab when his professor came up to him and tapped him on his shoulder. “You’ve been volunteering here for about a year now, right?” Professor Jung asked. Minkyun only nodded and said a brief ‘yes,’ looking at his senior with anticipation.

“Let’s change that,” she smiled, handing Minkyun a slip of paper. “You’ve worked hard, Minkyun, so I think you deserve some compensation. Plus, I think you would do well with your own research investigation.” Minkyun looked at the pay on the sheet of paper and immediately gave a furious barrage of “thank you’s” to Professor Jung. He needed some good news in his life.

With another failed date and botched exam that same week, Minkyun’s mind jumped to one person. Back in his dorm that night, he pulled out his phone and scrolled to the name “Yoonie~.” He crafted a quick text message and jumped into bed with a sigh. He would let himself indulge in his fading crush just for one day, he told himself.

~~~

“Why are these drinks so erotically named?” the man questioned with a furrowed brow, scanning the menu for something satisfactory to order. _Sex on the beach, slippery nipple, orgasm… What on earth are these names?_

“I don’t know who came up with them, but Changyoon you should try the orgasm one. I think it’s sweet and it tastes like alcoholic iced coffee.” He leaned in to point at the option on the menu. “I think I’m ordering this one for sure.”

“Okay okay, I trust your recommendation.” Changyoon closed the menu with a resounding clap and made eye contact with the waiter patiently standing in the corner. “We’ll have two orgasms,” he said aloud, bursting into a fit of giggles as soon as the waiter left with their order.

Minkyun shoved his friend’s forehead back with his fingertips. “Why do you have to be like this? Maybe this is why I never go out to these places with you,” he playfully teased.

“It’s not every day that I get treated by _the_ Park Minkyun,” Changyoon laughed. “How good was that raise that you wanted to take me out? You _know_ that I will spend any free money given to me well.” Minkyun made brief eye contact with Changyoon before focusing his attention on the glowing lights behind him.

“You think I’d tell you my earnings? Just be grateful you are getting treated,” he smiled. Minkyun comfortably sank into his seat as the music continued to boom in the darkening bar. The sunlight outside vanished, leaving the neon lights in the bar as the only source for his vision. But even in the dark, he could see the whiteness of Changyoon’s smile and the gaudiness of his pink oversized shirt. “Changyoon you should ask them to pay you for providing light with this thing,” he joked, grasping the other’s sleeve and shaking it.

“Hey, why are you teasing me about this! Don’t you remember? You told me that it looked good on me when we went shopping for it.” Changyoon rested his chin on the palm of his hand and pouted.

A brief flash in his memory reminded Minkyun of that shopping trip they did together last year. He remembered all the fussing and nonsense he had to put up with because Changyoon thought that every piece of clothing he grabbed looked bad on him. It was probably their longest and most exhausting outing of that year - a full day of shopping and eating together from morning to night. Nevertheless, he would be a liar to say that he did not enjoy it

Minkyun was in the middle of forming his response when he saw Changyoon’s eyes widen in excitement. The waiter returned to their table with the orgasms and the bill, which Minkyun readily handed his card over to pay with. “It looks so good!” Changyoon exclaimed. He took a sip of his drink through his straw and hopped up and down in his seat with joy. His hair flapped with him like wings, bringing another smile to Minkyun’s face.

“I told you it was great. My choices are top notch,” he claimed, clapping his hands on the last syllables for emphasis.

“Really, you always have great taste,” Changyoon replied with a thumbs up. “I might even want to order a second one,” he slyly added with a wink.

“Ah, it’s a sad day when your elders are trying to drain your wallet,” Minkyun beamed.

“You know you love me.” Minkyun hummed in agreement and was about to signal the waiter to come back when Changyoon pushed down his arm. “No no no, I’m joking. I don’t need another,” he affirmed. “Go put your wallet away. I’m high class but you know I’m lightweight.” Minkyun laughed in understanding. It was as if they were acting like themselves again.

“So how’s that new girl you’ve been talking to? Is her name… Nahyun? Gahyun? I don’t remember.” He scratched the back of his head.

On a normal day, Changyoon would have liked to brag about how great things are going. Maybe he would say that he thinks they’re close to getting into a serious relationship. And his friend would smile and nod in approval, as if he never heard Changyoon make such unfulfilled claims. Nevertheless, today he felt different, feeling the urge to refrain from his normal exaggerations. “We haven’t talked in weeks. I don’t see it going anywhere,” he said with a polite laugh.

“That’s okay. I’m not sure what she’s thinking though. You’re a great catch, Changyoon. If you weren’t straight, you know _I’d_ date you,” Minkyun joked. His eyes squinted with joy, and he picked up his glass to take another sip of orgasm.

“Why do you always have to make that joke,” the other whined. “It’s getting old already.” Every time he heard Minkyun make that joke it was like a prick to his skin. “What about you? Anything interesting going on in your dating life?” he asked. Deflection never seemed to fail Changyoon in their conversations.

“Oh, nothing much. I think I told you last time about that Taebin guy? It didn’t end up working out though because he was too flaky. Never really showed up or made an effort.” Minkyun raised his eyebrows and cleaned out the rest of his glass.

Changyoon beamed, saying “You don’t deserve anyone like that. Besides, single life is enjoyable and comes with many benefits.” Minkyun scoffed at Changyoon’s attempt to console him. It was hypocritical to hear this coming from the man who had just been complaining about being single the last time they were together.

“I guess you’re right, but I don’t know. I feel more frustrated that I’m wasting my time with dating people like this.”

“That’s right!” his friend exclaimed, almost too enthusiastically. Seeing that he was behind in drinking, he tilted his head back and downed the rest of his cocktail with a refreshed _ah~_ at the end.

The bar had been half-packed when the two of them walked in, but in the past half hour it was starting to fill up to capacity. Sensing a proper cue to get out before it was obnoxiously loud, Minkyun lightly hit the table with both of his hands and stood up.

“Okay, I think we’ve been here long enough. Are you tired already or are you up for some dancing?” He smirked at Changyoon and held out his hand. Changyoon eagerly took it in response to his challenge and stood up. As they headed for the door, Minkyun naturally linked their arms together.


	7. Neon

**Summary for the Chapter:**

> Part 2 of Neon with edits.

“When’s the last time you danced?” Minkyun asked as he pushed the doors open. The music from behind them spilled out onto the street, mixing with the busy sounds of the nightlife. They were in the heart of the city’s club district on the center street. Countless people buzzed by with their laughter and conversations, steadily moving underneath the glaring lights.

Changyoon paused to think (and because the group in front of them took their  _ sweet ass time _ with walking on a crowded street). “On the high school dance team? Damn, has it been that long? We haven’t danced together in a while.”

Minkyun was taken aback and gasped. “Well that means we have to find a good place to dance at. Why haven’t you danced in so long? You were like the star of FUZE!” The shade of the night hid the redness of Changyoon’s cheeks, but Minkyun could still see his sheepish smile. Changyoon had only joined the team back then because Minkyun really wanted to join and would not do it without someone by his side. Over the years Changyoon found a lack of motivation to return to it.

“Let’s just go over there then,” Changyoon pointed. “I think that’s where the more popular dance clubs are. We can go wherever the vibe is good.” Minkyun nodded his head in agreement and the two set off, first swerving around the slow group in front.

The row of bars and clubs they walked by varied in attendance. There were some very packed spots, but at the same time there were places with a scarcity of people. Minkyun was not feeling any of the places, and he had to sadly shake his head any time Changyoon pointed at a place and asked for approval.

Eventually, they came across a convenience store as a break in between the noise. “Do you want to have some soju before we find a place, Changyoon? I think it’ll make me less picky,” Minkyun suggested.

“Umm -”

“It’s on me.”

“You’re the best!” Changyoon happily exclaimed. He turned inwards to quickly squeeze Minkyun into a hug. “You pick whatever you want, then. Surprise me.”

“Okay, I’ll be right back. Don’t disappear on me,” Minkyun replied, heading inside the store to pick a drink. He already knew that he was getting peach soju because it was his friend’s favorite, so it saved him the time of deliberating on a choice.

Changyoon patiently waited outside the store with his hands in his pockets. He bit his lip in anticipation…? Or was it confusion? He felt his muddled thoughts bouncing around inside, unsure if it was him overthinking or just the single cocktail he drank. After all, he hadn’t drunk in such a long while. He massaged his temples to try and relieve his stress. He pulled out his phone to look at the time and smiled at the reminder of his phone’s lock screen.

The doors to the convenience store opened, making Changyoon turn his head. Minkyun walked out with a single bottle. “Okay so I didn’t want to go overboard with it, so I just figured we could share one bottle. You’re not sick or anything right?” Changyoon shook his head and lit up when he saw that the bottle was his favorite flavor.

“Of course, you got this because you  _ knew _ I love the peach flavor,” he said with pride.

“I pay attention to what you like, you know,” the other beamed.

In that same spot outside the store, they twisted open the soju bottle and took turns gulping down the fiery liquid. Usually, Minkyun would offer to play a drinking game to make it more entertaining, but his enthusiasm to take Changyoon dancing outweighed that idea. With the final gulp, Minkyun disposed of the bottle and swung his arm around Changyoon’s shoulder. Instinctively, Changyoon lifted his outside hand to hold onto Minkyun’s hand.

Perhaps it was the alcohol that lightened Minkyun’s judgement, or maybe the two just stumbled upon good luck, as it only took a few steps for them to find a packed club that resonated well with Minkyun. Changyoon didn’t even have to ask - he just noticed Minkyun pausing to look and knew that it interested him. Changyoon tilted the two of them to the side to look at the sign.  _ Neon _ blared above the entrance in block characters, radiating a harsh pink light to those that looked at it.

“Oh, I think this is a popular gay club, Minkyun. Do you want to go in? You might like it.”

“Uh, yeah let’s go check it out,” Minkyun hesitantly agreed, as he himself had never been to a gay club before. The two of them joined the end of the sizable line, shoulder to shoulder with their hands in their pockets. The weather was getting progressively chilly as the night went on, and the closest thing to warmth Changyoon had was the puffs of cigarette smoke that floated towards him.

As soon as he noticed his friend shivering, Minkyun turned towards Changyoon and opened his jacket to envelope him inside. “At least I was smart and brought a jacket.” He felt the other headbutt his chest and snake his arms around Minkyun’s waist. “Thank you,” he softly murmured. “I’m getting cold out here.”

With Changyoon inside his jacket cocoon, Minkyun slowly steered the two of them up in line as people flowed in and out of the club. His body started to warm up from the contact with his friend, even reaching his face. At the front of the line, he gently removed himself from the other and pulled out his wallet for identification.

Changyoon checked his phone to see that it was already midnight when they entered the club, and it made sense. It seemed to be peak party time, with the entire club packed with bodies and heat. The obscure club was lit up with splashes of blue and pink light, while the DJ’s booth was decorated in all rainbow-colored lights. “Let’s go get a few beers - on me of course,” Minkyun gestured to the bar. He turned back to grab Changyoon’s hand and weaved them through the crowd of people.

After ordering and receiving their drinks, the two of them leaned their backs against the bar and took in the surroundings. Minkyun enthusiastically jumped with the crowd to the music while Changyoon took sips. He peered at Minkyun and smiled. “Are you having fun?”

“Of course! The people here seem nice, and so many of them were smiling at me. I feel welcome,” he proudly grinned.

“Hey, don’t be too innocent,” Changyoon warned. “At least half of those smiles are because they are  _ thirsty _ for you.” He said it in his normal joking tone, but Changyoon himself knew that he was envious when he said it. Minkyun swatted his hand and faked a fist at him.

“Hurry up and finish your drink so we can dance,” he said in annoyance. He palmed the bottom of the beer and lifted it above Changyoon’s mouth so that it trailed smoothly down his throat. “Also, if you’re not feeling okay at any point tonight, just let me know. Both of us can’t be trashed, you know.” He tugged at Changyoon’s shirtsleeve and guided him to the center of the dance floor.

The two of them were capable of more elaborate dancing, but for the purpose of not looking too extra, they did the basic stepping side-to-side to the music. Either way, both were holding onto each other and laughing. It put Minkyun at ease to see Changyoon giddy, and as the songs got more intense, they began to let their high school selves out. In twenty minutes, their dancing evolved into Changyoon practically flailing his body around and Minkyun energetically bouncing to match the other’s effort.

Eventually, Changyoon burned out his battery for dancing and looked around for the nearest bathroom. “I have to go to the bathroom, just stay here. It’ll only be a second,” he assured, darting away into the crowd. Minkyun nodded and continued his basic dancing by himself. He checked his phone for notifications, but it was entirely empty.

“Minkyun?” a voice rang out within the music. Minkyun looked up from his phone to see a familiar face that he could not place in his memory. It was a man whose face had soft features with a mop of blonde hair, but his appearance alone did not help him generate a name.

“Oh hey!” he responded instinctively. He decided on just pretending that he remembered the man in front of him.

“I haven’t seen you since high school. How’s university right now?” the acquaintance asked in a friendly tone. Minkyun internally sighed in relief that the mystery man provided context on how they knew each other.

“Well, I just started my second year, so I guess I’m trying to get through it.” He wanted to be short and sweet without offering too much of his life story.

“That’s good to hear. So, what brings you here? Did you come here alone?” The man had an inviting smile as he said that, almost too welcoming for Minkyun’s taste now. However, he did have to acknowledge that the man was attractive. Maybe if he really came to this club alone (and slightly thirstier), he would try and flirt back to get to know the blonde man better. But his mind snapped back to Changyoon, and he briefly scanned the crowd for any indication that his friend would return to save him from this.

“No, I came with a friend. He’s in the bathroom,” Minkyun pointed with his signature polite-but-fake smile. And with the mention of Changyoon’s presence, the man appeared as Minkyun’s savior.

Changyoon, still bright as ever with his pink shirt, took a quick glance at the acquaintance and Minkyun. Decisively, he interlocked his fingers with Minkyun’s and looked at the intruder. “Hey babe, what’s up? Who’s this?” he asked with a tinge of bitterness. Minkyun tried to hide his surprise at the way that Changyoon was addressing him, but he trusted Changyoon enough to go along with whatever nonsense he was using.

“Um, this is Changyoon,” Minkyun said, waiting for the man to introduce himself.

“Hi, I’m Hyojin. I think I recognize you. We were in the same year back at high school.”

“Ah, that’s such a nice coincidence that we met here, then.” Changyoon beamed with his respective polite-but-fake smile. “Well, actually Minkyunie and I were about to head out just now, but it was nice to meet you.” And with that, Changyoon tugged Minkyun along while Hyojin was in the middle of waving goodbye, not even sparing a glance over his shoulder. Minkyun felt his friend’s hand pulse with warmth, and he randomly tried to remember the last time he felt Changyoon’s hand like this.

They stopped underneath the club entrance in between the warmth of the bustling clubgoers and the cold of the night. “Thanks for the save back there,” Minkyun gratefully said. He was going to question Changyoon’s method of pretending that they were boyfriends, but he figured he could bring it up later. Instead, he followed up with, “But did we have to leave the club so soon? I was having fun, you know.”

Changyoon sighed in response, gently releasing their hands. “I’m sorry Minkyun,” he apologized. “But also, I think I’m getting tired out from tonight. Is it okay if we go home? I promise I’ll make it up to you.”

“Of course, we can go. And you don’t owe me anything so don’t worry about it. I think the nearest station is that way,” he said while pointing back at the main street. He wrapped his arm back around Changyoon’s shoulder, but this time Changyoon’s hand didn’t come up to meet his. He noticed it but did not react.

As the two of them turned a corner, Minkyun decided to fill the air with conversation. Out of curiosity he asked, “So you didn’t know that guy back there? I thought you were the social butterfly that knew  _ everyone _ back then.”

Changyoon grimaced at the question but had the instinct to respond truthfully. His head was already getting progressively dizzier, but maybe talking would help keep him balanced. “I knew of him, but I never talked to him directly. How did you ever meet him in the first place?” he countered.

“I’m really not sure. Maybe I ran into him once or twice at school or after extracurriculars, but I guess it wasn’t significant enough for me to remember his name and face together.”

Changyoon paused for a period to sort out what he wanted to continue with, as he knew that talking about this matter was going to evoke certain emotions for him. It turned out he had failed in his mission to keep Hyojin away from Minkyun, after all. 

“You know, that guy really wanted to get with you during high school,” he shamelessly blurted.  _ Smooth, Changyoon _ .

“Really?” Minkyun asked in surprise.

“Yeah. He apparently would ask a lot of people in your year about you. I think he had Jaeyoung approach me directly to get information about you. I never knew why he didn’t just get the confidence to talk to you directly. Maybe today he was feeling braver after a few years,” he said, his sarcasm starting to burst at the seams.

Minkyun took a second to process what Changyoon was saying. “Wait, so you knew that this Hyojin guy liked me back in high school, and you never told me?”

“I didn’t think he was good for you. He seemed flaky and only interested in you for the short term. I was just trying to be a good friend for you.”

Minkyun felt his anger flare up, and this almost never happened when he was with Changyoon. “How could you not at least tell me and make my own decisions for myself? You know I was struggling in high school with sexuality and accepting myself. Maybe I could’ve been happier if I knew that there was someone else like me.” His words were pushing into aggressive territory.

“Look, I’m really sorry I didn’t tell you back then. But why are we even arguing about this? It’s something that I can’t change or take back right now,” he easily sensed Minkyun’s aggression and attempted to pacify it. “I just wanted what was best for you.”

That phrase was the worst misstep he could have taken.

Minkyun whipped to the side and thrusted his hands onto Changyoon’s shoulders. “How are you supposed to know what’s best for me, huh? You don’t know what it’s like to be gay and to feel so alone.” He looked directly into Changyoon’s face, but for the first time, he couldn’t read his emotions. “Even if we didn’t end up dating, he could’ve been a friend that understood what I was going through. I can’t believe you.”

Now it was time for Changyoon’s anger to overflow. He tried to be as calm as he could, but with Minkyun throwing complete blame at him to his face, he had reached a breaking point. It was as if his emotions were spiraling amongst the dizziness in his head, ready to be released in an outburst.

“Listen up, Park Minkyun!” the man suddenly exclaimed, breaking out of Minkyun’s hold. He took a second to look at Minkyun’s face before he made the decision to release all the bubbling anxiety and emotions he had held in that night. It felt like the perfect timing, especially since he felt fully sober. After taking a deep breath, he made his confession.

“You know what? I… like you okay?” The couple walking in the opposite direction were clearly as startled as Minkyun and sped up their pace past the two. Minkyun felt his anger completely dissipate, being swiftly replaced with confusion. Minkyun grabbed Changyoon’s arm to force him back onto their planned route before he made any further loud confessions.

“You’re drunk, Changyoon. Don’t say things like that,” he strictly replied. He had no idea what would make Changyoon say such a claim.  _ Maybe he was still drunk, or maybe he was trying to raise Minkyun’s spirits. _ It made no sense with how frequent Changyoon talked about dating other people and how he seemed to forget Minkyun, so Minkyun decided to chalk it up to nonsense.

After one more minute of walking down the street, the anger seeped back in and caused Changyoon to break away from Minkyun. He took a quick scan of his surroundings to make sure that there was no one around them and returned his gaze on Minkyun.

“I’m not drunk, Minkyun, and I mean it this time. I drank water at the club we just went to and peed a lot so I’m like borderline sober right now,” Changyoon asserted. Minkyun had also never seen Changyoon frustrated like this before, so he was visibly taken aback by his serious behavior. He raised an eyebrow in anticipation of what Changyoon was about to go off on.

“I started liking you for real since last year. Maybe it started with the Hyojin stuff in high school - I don’t know. At first, whenever you told me stories about the guys you’ve dated and the ones that you were talking to, I was okay with it. But sometime back then, I started getting jealous. And I started getting excited every time we hung out. I don’t know, I think I’m starting to ramble…” Changyoon noticed that Minkyun’s facial expression was blank, so he turned his eyes downward to the non-judgmental ground.

After a few seconds of silence, Minkyun softly hit Changyoon’s arm so that he’d raise his head back up. “I thought you liked girls only. What about the ones you were talking to?” Minkyun was starting to feel frustration build up, but he could not understand why.

“I was never interested. I only followed through when you introduced me to them because I wanted you to be jealous. But you  _ never _ take the hints, Minkyun.” Changyoon had to take another deep breath to compress his anger, but he was struggling to stay sane with the nonsense spilling out of his friend’s mouth. It especially hurt that Minkyun was still frozen in place, his robotic face unmoving.

Maybe it was just a few minutes, but each second passed in tense silence. And each second added to the fire inside of Changyoon. “Aren’t you going to say anything?” His fiery words converted into water at the corners of his eyes, and they stung like alcohol.

Minkyun took in everything that had just unfolded, and the right answer settled on his lips. He took a large gulp before finally deciding on what he wanted to say. “Changyoon, I liked you all the way back when we just became friends. Even when I came out to you. But I always made myself think of you as a friend.”

“Well, what do you think of me now?” Changyoon softly asked, and his gentleness sent goosebumps all over Minkyun’s body.

“I… don’t know.”

At this point, Changyoon’s liquid courage was watered down completely, letting his real courage guide him in his next move. He confidently stepped forward and leaned in to plant a kiss on his friend’s lips. As he pulled away, he looked directly into Minkyun’s eyes and said, “I’m still figuring myself out, but I’m being serious about liking you.”  _ Oh shit, where did he get the confidence to say this. _

Minkyun’s heart almost stopped during that exchange. He was still processing his friend’s confession, the satisfying feeling of their gentle kiss, and the avalanche of emotions he had felt for Changyoon from the first time they met. Yet in all this spinning confusion, his intuition guided him to Changyoon.

After gazing into Changyoon’s pleading eyes, Minkyun’s genuine smile returned to his face. “I like you too. How am I supposed to say ‘I don’t like you’ after  _ that,” _ he lightheartedly joked. 

Immediately, Changyoon’s face lit up as pink as his shirt, and he confidently leaned back into the other for a follow-up kiss, pressing their lips with more force this time. It was the same feeling as kissing drunk Changyoon at the graduation party, but it was so much sweeter that they both could fully enjoy it. Minkyun readily reciprocated the action but broke away before they committed to making out in the street.

“Let’s not get carried away,” he laughed. Changyoon giggled and reached down to grasp Minkyun’s hand, as they once again set off on the path towards the station.

As the station entrance finally entered their vision, a darkened neon sign above the two of them jumped to life, greatly startling the pair. Both Changyoon and Minkyun screamed and grabbed each other by reflex, waiting a few seconds before realizing that it was just a harmless sign. “I hate you,” Changyoon whined at the sign above them. Minkyun laughed at the other’s cuteness.

“I’m happy,” Changyoon gently said as they descended the escalator into the subway. “I didn’t know that I was going to say anything tonight, but I’m glad that I did.”

“Me too. You don’t know how many times I got sad over you being straight,” Minkyun shyly confessed.

“I’m sorryyyy,” the other apologized. “But hey, I finally came around, didn’t I?” he continued with a full-toothed smile. Minkyun felt himself melting at how bright everything about Changyoon was.

“I guess so…” Minkyun trailed off with a pout, leading Changyoon to melt at how adorable Minkyun was. As they got off the escalator at the bottom, they stood in the middle of the subway platform and looked at the map in front of them. From where they were, they realized that Minkyun would have to take five stops to get home, while Changyoon would take two stops in the opposite direction to get home. As Minkyun was fussing about the time his subway train was arriving, Changyoon simply tugged at their hands.

“Stay with me tonight. Please?” Minkyun narrowed his eyes knowingly at Changyoon with suspicion, causing him to immediately follow up and say, “We won’t do anything. At the most, we can cuddle,” he cheekily added. Minkyun couldn’t help grinning at every cute syllable Changyoon spoke, and Changyoon took this as a sign to seal the deal.

“You know I live alone, too. Just tonight - it’s shorter to get to my home anyways.” He childishly swung their hands back and forth. Any further thoughts in Minkyun’s head were halted by the beep to the right of them.  _ The train is arriving. Please, watch your step.  _ He looked to the left for his waiting area, seeing a small crowd of people standing around. He looked to the right at the open doors of the subway car, as well as Changyoon cutely burrowing his head into his shoulder.

“Alright, let’s go before the doors close,” he agreed, making the other perk up.

Changyoon made the largest smile at Minkyun before grasping his neck and stealing a peck on his cheek. “You’re the best. Let’s go!” He walked in front and tugged the other behind him. With the car almost entirely empty, Changyoon made a beeline for the corner seats and pushed Minkyun in first. The luminescent lights made Minkyun’s eyes sore, so he closed them and laid his head on his friend’s shoulder.

Changyoon sighed and leaned into Minkyun as well. It was nothing out of the ordinary in their friendship, but it was a new feeling tonight. He felt a pleasant glow from inside, bringing his other hand over to rub their clasped hands.

When they arrived at Changyoon’s apartment, it was still a weirdly normal feeling. It was familiar for Minkyun to be here, to stay over and enjoy Changyoon’s company. Just within the last two years of Changyoon living here, they ate an abundance of take-out meals, watched collections of movies together, and so many deep conversations while lying on the hardwood floor of the living room. Regardless, this time brought a new feeling.

This time, when Minkyun tumbled over and collapsed into Changyoon’s sheets, Changyoon followed suit. Changyoon didn’t respectfully sleep on his futon as he usually did, and he didn’t need to even make that suggestion. The two just knew that they had to be physically close together.

Minkyun peeled off his jacket and tossed it to the side before rolling towards the center of the bed. He came into face-to-face contact with Changyoon and grinned. “High school Minkyun would be crying if he knew that this was going to happen,” he boldly admitted.

“I think that  _ I’m  _ close to crying right now,” Changyoon laughed in defiance to his slowly forming tears.

“You already cried today, don’t do it again Changyoonie. Let’s just be happy.” Minkyun wiped his eyes and draped an arm around him. “We can talk more tomorrow. For now, I just want to sleep.” He leaned forward to place a soft kiss on his forehead then lowered his head to let their lips briefly meet. Changyoon and Minkyun both felt their hearts beat rapidly in sync. It was an action that already seemed natural - it seemed right.

Minkyun was just expecting to celebrate good news with his friend today, but he ended up with even more than he dreamt of. He thought back to the night that he spent in Changyoon’s bed, and how he cried over his suffering. That night, he did cry over his parents neglecting him, but he cried even more at the realization that the guy next to him was out of his reach.

However, on this night, they were not cuddled up together as friends. This time, they were enwrapped with each other because they wanted to, and this time it was Minkyun who stroked Changyoon’s face with his thumb, clearing out the flowing tears.

He closed his eyes and smiled.


	8. Fireworks

**Summary for the Chapter:**

> Changyoon and Minkyun are dating.

**Notes for the Chapter:**

> The penultimate chapter! The finale is near!

When Minkyun woke up, he was facing the edge of the bed. He slung his arm over the bed table to paw at his phone to check the time. As he picked up the phone and pulled it towards him, he came to the slow realization that it was Changyoon’s phone. In large white text across the top, it read 10:07 AM.

But what fascinated Minkyun more was the screensaver underneath the text. Surprisingly, it was a picture of him and Changyoon from the day of their dance performance. The two of them in their black mesh outfits, smiling with arms draped around each other. He remembered how much of a fuss he had to make for that picture, as Changyoon was bouncing off the walls with his stage anxiety. “Let’s just take a picture now in these outfits because you _ know  _ we’ll forget to do it as soon as the show is over.” And here it was.

Grinning, Minkyun peered behind him in the bed. Changyoon was still sleeping, and he had bunched all the blankets inwards to himself. Minkyun looked back at the bedside table and swapped Changyoon’s basic black phone with his own fruity pink phone. As he brought his breathing to a silence, he opened up his camera app and aggressively tapped the white circle on his screen, capturing an onslaught of pictures focused on Changyoon’s peaceful sleeping face.

Once he went through his gallery and was satisfied with his photography, Minkyun returned his phone to its place on the table and scooted towards the other. Like a curious kitten, he poked at Changyoon’s cheeks, fascinated with how the soft flesh melded around his fingertips. Changyoon’s eyelids fluttered as he groggily blinked, and he jolted backwards when the bright figure in front of him materialized.

“..Minkyun? That wasn’t a dream?” He recognized that he was in his apartment, but yesterday’s events made him feel completely disoriented upon waking up.

“Nope, it’s real,” Minkyun smiled, pulling the other back in towards him. “How can you forget that you went on and on yesterday about how much you  _ liked  _ me,” he added with an emphatic wink. After yesterday’s events, the man now had a new burst of confidence that greatly contrasted his previous anxiety about his crush.

Changyoon froze in place as he recalled all of his memories from yesterday. Embarrassed, he leaned forward and buried his head into Minkyun’s chest. “I meant what I said yesterday, but you don’t have to tease me for it, you know.” He pulled up the blankets so that they were both evenly covered. Minkyun kissed the top of Changyoon’s head and pulled him close, keeping them warm and cozy for another hour.

“Do you remember that party on the night that you graduated?” Minkyun asked as they were still cocooned in bed.

“Yeah, what about it?”

“That night was technically our first kiss,” he confessed, directly looking into Changyoon’s eyes.

“What? Are you serious?”

“Yeah. You were acting too cute and you were begging to kiss me so that you could be my first kiss,” he cheerfully said, reveling in the sight of Changyoon’s cheeks warming to a red color.

“Thanks for telling me that years after it happened,” he pouted, although he could understand why Minkyun kept it from him. “I knew that I did something stupid that night.”

“Even though it was stupid, I’m happy it happened.”

Changyoon wordlessly nodded his head against Minkyun’s body.

The two of them felt no significant change in their relationship when they started dating. In fact, it was even more natural to them. Now, when they went on dates, Minkyun could confidently slip his hand into Changyoon’s, or Changyoon could steal a kiss while they were walking alone. For Minkyun, there was no burden of pushing away; for Changyoon, there was no burden of jealousy.

Some days, Minkyun would come over to Changyoon’s apartment to get treated to a homemade dinner and a movie. Other days, Changyoon would stay the night in Minkyun’s single dorm room, where they would cuddle amongst the chaotic loudness of his floor. Despite their schedules, they took time to eat more meals together and call each other when they were apart. To the bewilderment of his friends, Changyoon often would end their calls with “I miss you, honey~”, giving no explanation to his confused friends around him. He felt like they didn’t deserve to know yet.

~~~

November came, and Changyoon of course did not forget to celebrate his boyfriend’s birthday. The day before, he let Minkyun enjoy the night with his own school friends, but Changyoon made sure to say “but on your actual birthday, you are  _ mine _ .” Minkyun was unable to think properly for the rest of the day after he heard that sentence.

Hence, as he stood on the street corner on the evening of his birthday, he tapped nervously in place. Minkyun had heard endless dirty jokes from Changyoon since they first met, but Changyoon had never directed them towards Minkyun. Maybe he was just feeling horny or something, Minkyun thought to himself. 

In spite of his thinking, he couldn’t shake the overtly sexual way Changyoon spoke to him. It had been almost a month, and the topic of sex was never brought up in conversation. The two of them have kissed plenty of times, sometimes leading into full on make out sessions, but they always settled for cuddling in the end (although Minkyun had definitely felt his boyfriend’s hardened dick against his leg a few times). Perhaps this was Changyoon’s way of hinting that he was ready.

Any further mulling on sex was interrupted by someone suddenly grabbing his sides from behind. Minkyun shrieked immediately and turned around to see his cheeky boyfriend with a bag in hand. “I hate youuu,” Minkyun whined, shoving the other back with one hand.

“Not so fast. You can’t hate someone who brought you a gift,” Changyoon responded, cheerfully raising up his red bag. Minkyun accepted it with a smile and looked down into the bag. He pulled up a black leather book and opened the cover.

Written in neat handwriting were the words “The Best Memories with Park Minkyun.” Just flipping through a few pages, Minkyun found photos of him and Changyoon, some of them dating back to when they first met in high school. 

“Some of my favorite ones are of you on stage because you were so charismatic,” Changyoon pointed out as he peered over the photos with Minkyun.

“You’re going to make me cry,” Minkyun reacted, closing up the book and wiping his eyes. Changyoon intercepted him with a hug, stroking the back of his head soothingly.

“Shh, no crying for the rest of the night. We have to be energetic for karaoke!” Changyoon pulled away, keeping his hands on Minkyun’s arms. He gave his kindest smile to the other and took the gift away from Minkyun so that he could carry it.

“Thank you, Changyoon. This is the best birthday gift I’ve gotten and I mean it,” Minkyun replied, leaning forward to plant a kiss on his boyfriend’s cheek. Changyoon affectionately ruffled Minkyun’s hair in response and led them to his favorite karaoke place nearby.

They spent a solid two to three hours in that karaoke room together. There was a sort of rhythm that they established: they would bounce around the room and play with the tambourines during energetic songs, and they would cuddle together and hold hands during slow ballads. It was this balance of energy that kept them singing together the whole night, and they sang so much that their voices were hitting new ranges that they hadn’t hit before.

After they had exhausted their extensive list of karaoke songs, they ended up in the kitchen of Changyoon’s apartment. “I have a cake for you at home!” Changyoon had exclaimed earlier, giving the perfect excuse for them to spend the night together (Minkyun saw through this, but he happily went along with it).

His boyfriend pulled out a miniature pink cake from the fridge, a cake neatly decorated with vanilla icing and chocolate flourishes. Once Changyoon placed and lit a candle in the center of the cake, the two of them softly sang “Happy Birthday” under the dim lights of Changyoon’s apartment. Minkyun closed his eyes and blew out his candle, prompting a playful round of seal applause from his boyfriend.

They spent another hour of the night huddled on Changyoon’s futon, chatting away the minutes while watching videos together. After a deep rabbit hole of unrealistic cooking videos, Minkyun noticed a familiar thumbnail in the recommendations with the text “FUZE - First Semester Showcase Perf...”. Changyoon was holding the phone for them, so Minkyun curiously tapped the image without consultation.

The video was indeed their iconic performance from high school, the overtly sexual one where Minkyun grinded his way into Changyoon’s heart. As they intently watched the first thirty seconds, Minkyun already commented, “You’re so handsome,” five times. All Changyoon could do was shyly murmur “You were more handsome” and snuggle with Minkyun.

“Wait, let’s go see if we remember any of this,” Changyoon offered as an idea. He kicked the blankets off of them and pulled them off the futon. After propping up the video on the nearest table, he played the video again and started dancing with Minkyun to the old choreo. They laughed at the many mistakes they made, Minkyun at one point doing the entire dance in the opposite direction.

When they reached the scandalous hips section of the song, they froze in place as soon as they grinded together. It was as if they were reliving those moments in real time. The ridiculous uproar of the audience filled the room, but they did not pay any attention to it. They weren’t on stage anymore; they were just in the middle of a living room within their own privacy. Changyoon was not sure if he was just being hormonal, but in that moment he felt completely infatuated with the other. 

Sensing the atmosphere, Minkyun peeled away from Changyoon and made eye contact. They knew each other well enough to understand that they were both trying to process a lot of thoughts and emotions at once. Thus, Minkyun decided to be very clear and spoke through his actions. He simply grabbed the other’s hand and pulled him into the bedroom. Any of his worries evaporated into the air - he just knew that this was going to be the night.

The next morning was like any morning that Changyoon and Minkyun spent in each other’s arms. The only difference was that there were more clothes on the floor than on their bodies. 


	9. Our Promise

**Summary for the Chapter:**

> Hope.

**Notes for the Chapter:**

> Thank you for reaching the end of this chaptered fic! Please comment and let me know what you thought about this story! I appreciate the support!

One Friday as Minkyun rolled out of bed and checked his phone, he felt a soft wave of shock when he saw a wave of messages in a group chat that he did not recognize. He turned around and furiously patted at his slumbering boyfriend. “Why didn’t you tell me that we had plans to meet FUZE friends for dinner today?” He only received mumbled groans in response.

“Yah!” he yelled, ripping off the blankets from the other. 

“They were trying to make plans all week for my birthday, so I was ignoring them as they were fighting. They probably added you in to make sure I’d be there,” Changyoon complained into the blanket. He tugged a loose blanket back over himself to groan a few more times.

“It’s the afternoon already so we should start getting ready,” Minkyun declared, getting up from the bed and circling around to the other side. He knelt down and stared into Changyoon’s eyes, deciding to launch a tickle attack on the other.

Changyoon pulled up the blankets for protection, but even so Minkyun put him into a fit of giggles. They rolled across the bed together, with Minkyun now aggressively pecking at Changyoon’s face with his lips. “You’re being gross, Kyunnie!” he yelled during the assault, which prompted Minkyun to immediately stop and pull away.

“I’m being gross?” he questioned incredulously. “Alright, no more kissing for a week then,” he announced, turning away to head into the bathroom.

“W-wait no Minkyun! Come back please,” Changyoon whined, tossing the blankets aside.

“I’m going to shower!” he yelled over his shoulder, elated at his successful teasing.

“Let me join you today,” the other pleaded.

“Nope.” The door shut tightly behind Minkyun, and Changyoon heard the lock being fastened. He pouted, trying to recall when his boyfriend was capable of yielding so much power over him. He flattened himself against the bed and sighed.

~~~

The dance friends that gathered for Changyoon’s early birthday celebration essentially boiled down to the same panel that was there to judge auditions, plus Minkyun of course. They sat around the round table on colorful stools, excited for the meat to come out. Jaeyoung had agreed to pay for beers for everyone, so already their energy was at a high.

They joked about Changyoon’s overly vibrant wardrobe, then they turned and joked about Jaeyoung’s starkly bland wardrobe in contrast (“I  _ have _ color, but I just didn’t happen to wear it today”). Seungjoon brought up hilarious birthday stories from when they were younger, like when Changyoon got food poisoning at a restaurant for his 13th birthday, or when Changyoon cried his eyes out because he thought everyone had forgotten his birthday and were celebrating Christmas only.

“I’m older now!” Changyoon complained in his defense.

“Does that mean you’re too old for birthday cakes then?” Seungjoon teased, bending down to scoop a white box off the floor.

“You’re never too old for cakes,” Changyoon retorted, eyeing the box with expectation. “Do you need any candles? I brought some with me,” he added, pulling out several mini wax candles from his pocket. Yooa rolled her eyes immediately in response.

“Of course you would bring candles to your own celebration.”

Changyoon scrunched his nose slightly. “Well, why wouldn’t I?” The rest of the table let out a collective sigh in response. 

“We’re not eating the cake until  _ after _ we finish eating the meat. Be patient,” Seungjoon scolded. He returned the white box to the ground as if he was dealing with a child, and like a child, Changyoon crossed his arms in disappointment. 

With the mountains of meat plates coming and going for their luxurious barbecue dinner, the old friends caught up on each other’s lives. Yooa was currently at an arts school, pursuing dance as her major. Seunghee also went to a school for the arts, deciding to shoot for either theater or singing. Seungjoon attended the same university as Minkyun, studying engineering. Jaeyoung was studying at the same school as Yooa, but took a year off so that he could work to afford the tuition. Minkyun and Changyoon talked about their busy schedules at their respective universities, to which everyone gave a solemn nod of understanding.

Seungjoon and the girls were about three beers in (making full use of Jaeyoung’s offer, of course) when they simultaneously got curious about Changyoon’s personal life. “Have you been dating anyone since Jinhee?” Seunghee directly asked, feeling no concern about being blunt.

Changyoon ignored his natural instinct to look at Minkyun beside him. Instead, he moved his hand and placed it on the other’s thigh, gently squeezing it as he spoke. “No, I haven’t dated any girl since,” he confidently spoke, trying to be as partially true as he could. 

He and Minkyun had this conversation several times before today, and they agreed that for now, they would refrain from telling their friends about their relationship. Changyoon barely knew his own sexuality yet, so he thought it was best that they stayed quiet, even though he was constantly tempted to show Minkyun off to the world.

“Ehhh,” Jaeyoung protested. “You’re too picky, Changyoon.” There were some nods of agreement from the rest of the group.

“You also lose interest really quickly. Weren’t all of your breakups because you got tired of the girl or because she felt neglected?” Yooa asked. Again, a chorus of “yeah’s” and nods followed from the other friends. Minkyun could only smile awkwardly and nod along with the rest. He moved his hand on top of Changyoon’s and softly tapped it. 

“Or maybe you just lost your charm, Changyoon,” Seungjoon suggested. Minkyun felt Changyoon clench his thigh tightly, his fingernails pressing hard.

He found himself teetering on the same boundary that day he had confessed to Minkyun. The feeling of keeping something to himself that he wanted to express out loud. Only this time, there was the added jabs at his personal character. He went silent for a brief moment to collect his thoughts, and hoped that Minkyun would understand what he was about to say next.

“Ya! Wanna know something? I’m not talking to any girls because Park Minkyun here is my boyfriend!” Changyoon exclaimed.

A harsh wave of astonishment washed over the group, until Jaeyoung pierced the air with a surprised “Shittttt.”

Minkyun could already sense Changyoon’s nerves from the way his knee bounced next to him, so he knew to go all in behind his boyfriend. “Yeah, this idiot here is my boyfriend, and we’ve been dating for about a few months now,” he confidently confessed. “Is there a problem?” It was hard for Minkyun to comprehend the range of expressions that were being given to them, but it seemed mostly… positive?

“Wait, are you guys being serious? Is this like a hidden camera prank or something?” Seunghee asked, frantically scanning the restaurant for a camera crew or anything suspicious. Her comment elicited some laughter from everyone, including Changyoon and Minkyun. Changyoon felt his anger subside briefly, sensing that the dynamic was not totally ruined.

“Yeah we’re serious! Do we need to kiss in front of you all to prove it?”

Changyoon’s suggestion immediately led to an outburst of disagreement from the rest of the group. 

“Pass,” Jaeyoung said with his hand held up. “We’ll take your word.”

“Congratulations you two,” Seungjoon added, prompting everyone to do a quick round of applause for the couple. 

“Yeah, I can so for sure that I did  _ not  _ see any of this coming,” Jaeyoung uttered in bewilderment. Minkyun shyly bowed his head and laughed at the nonsense. He felt Changyoon move his hand so that their fingers became interlaced under the table.

The rest of their dinner resumed with the same enthusiasm before. As expected, they made a public embarrassment of themselves when they pulled out the cake and sang “Happy birthday” to Changyoon in the restaurant, but for someone like Changyoon, it was a very fitting way to celebrate him. He hastily blew the candles that he packed himself, and scattered applause echoed throughout the restaurant, some of the contributors being strangers.

“I’ll be right back,” Seungjoon announced, getting up from his stool. “Do you want to come with?” he directed to Changyoon. Everyone understood that this was code language for “Do you want to go out to smoke?”. The other simply nodded and stood up to put on his coat to go outside. Minkyun gave him a wide-eyed expression and pursed his lips, trying to say “ _ you better not go smoke, Lee Changyoon” _ with his eyes. Obviously, his boyfriend understood the signal and gave a friendly tap on Minkyun’s shoulder in response.

He figured that Seungjoon just wanted to talk about something, not necessarily smoke. Sure enough, he was right, as they ended up standing by the curb in the frosty night. Seungjoon did not even perform the act of searching for a cigarette in his pocket (which was good, because Changyoon stopped carrying around a lighter for his smoker friends).

“So… Minkyun,” he started out. 

“Yeah,” Changyoon responded. It was a brief statement that deserved a brief reply.

“I’m happy for you,” Seungjoon said, leaning against the wall with content. “I know I joked about it a lot back in high school, but I had no idea that it would actually happen. I’m curious though, how did it happen?” 

“It’s too long of a story, but I guess we just both realized we liked each other at different times. I just decided to confess one day,” he said with pride. His breath vanished into the air in a white fog.

“Have you told anyone else, yet? Like your parents?” 

Changyoon quietly shook his head. “It still feels kind of new, so I’ll have to work my way there. My parents might be fine, but I doubt Minkyun’s parents are going to be cool about it.”

“I’m sure everything will turn out fine for you two. I’m just happy you’re happy - for real,” he said with a charming smile. He slung his arm over Changyoon’s shoulder and the two shivered from the coldness of the weather. “You look great when you’re actually happy, too. I never noticed it until now.”

He punched his friend’s shoulder playfully. “Unless you have anything else to tell me, let’s go back inside.” With a smile, he led them back to the front doors. The approval that Changyoon received from Seungjoon and the others was comforting, something that he did not know he needed until now.

~~~

On the actual day of Changyoon’s birthday, the two planned a trip to go up to Namsan Tower together. Or actually, Minkyun planned the trip for themselves. There was no way that they would be walking up the endless stairs in the cold, so they opted for the easy way out and took the bus up the mountain. 

No one seemed to be paying attention to them, so Minkyun snuck his hand out from his padded jacket sleeve and slipped it into his boyfriend’s. The bus continuously rocked back and forth, giving Minkyun a slight headache, so he simply squeezed their hands to ground himself. “It’s okay, just hang onto me,” Changyoon softly whispered to him.

When they got dropped off at the peak of the mountain, the two of them slowly moved in awe of the view, their gentle steps leaving footprints in the snow. The stream of people in the plaza ebbed and flowed, filling the air with their tranquil noise. As they neared the center of the mountain, a pure snowfall started developing.

“I don’t think I can go all the way up there,” Changyoon frowned, tilting his head up to look at the tip of the tower.

“We don’t have to. We can just stay down here,” Minkyun offered, pointing to an unoccupied bench in the distance. Arm in arm, he guided his boyfriend to the bench overlooking the view of the city.

“So, what’d you get me?” Changyoon beamed, giggling as he leaned into Minkyun. He had eavesdropped on his boyfriend at the beginning of the month, hearing Minkyun consult with a friend (probably Seungjoon or Jaeyoung) what kind of gift would be good enough. The curiosity had eaten away at him ever since.

“Why do you have to take the fun out of anything? At least try to act surprised,” Minkyun pouted. Changyoon tilted head upwards to look at Minkyun and pinched his cheeks.

“Too cute,” he affectionately said. “And you never actually  _ have _ to give me gifts. I’m fine with you always being my gift,” he cheekily remarked, earning a slap on the wrist from the other.

“Noted. But here’s your actual gift,” Minkyun responded, pulling out a small black box from his coat pocket.

He opened the box to reveal two silver rings with black bands across them. Delicately, he picked one up and placed it on his thumb, doing the same with Changyoon. “As long as we’re together, promise you’ll wear this with me,” he smiled. “Obviously you can take it off from time to time so that your skin doesn’t get nasty and stuff, but just wear it when you can,” he added.

Changyoon had no words to express his feelings, just an everlasting smile. Aware of his surroundings, he settled with a kiss on Minkyun’s forehead. Although he would’ve preferred to make out with Minkyun on the spot, he was comforted by the thought that his boyfriend was going to _get it_ tonight.

“I promise,” Changyoon said softly into Minkyun’s shoulder. He stood up from the bench with the other and gave him a tight embrace. It was a hug that carried the emotions from Minkyun’s loneliness, Changyoon’s confusion, and all the anxieties of their relationship. Yet as the white snow danced down onto their shoulders, there was a strong sense of hope that entered the two of them.

With the winter breeze pushing them forward, they slowly descended the hill in bliss.


End file.
